The Hunter
by Hack.Drawer
Summary: The government sent out their best hunter to stop the Strawhats' trek west. While he's encountered his share of crazy and strong opponents, he finds himself faced with stronger, crazier opponents in the Strawhats. But his first mistake was falling for a woman; his second was falling for a woman who was already taken. AU, Western, Follow up to 'Family Bonds'
1. Part One

**A/N: Rob Lucci isn't nice in this fic, but I feel some sympathy for him because of his reasons…I actually felt sorry for most of my villains in this series, haha (hugs them carefully) SO! With that, that's the first warning. As always with a Western, people die.** _ **Violently**_ **. Sometimes from falling off a train. This is not a White Rabbit or Stylo type of fic – it's a lot more angsty and full of traumatic situations.**

 **Thanks to all of those that read this series, and continue to stick with it!**

 **Part One**

Coming up the walkway of the large, dusty porch, the man in black made a couple of ladies nervous as they shifted away from the window seats, and made themselves scarce. The bouncer sitting in front looked up from picking his teeth, the toothpick held delicately between his fingers as he turned his head to watch the man approach. He was expecting Rob Lucci to arrive later that evening, not in the dead of the afternoon, when most of the girls inside were taking advantage of the slow hours to rest. He suspected the madam, Ivankov, to be upset about the change of schedule. The old woman hated change just as much as she hated Rob Lucci.

The house was their sanctuary after spending the evening hours entertaining the local Marines and government officials throughout the compound. That building was located in the back, accessible by a side alley entrance, and served as a place to sing, drink and be merry. The girls entertained there, and some entertained privately in the house itself.

"You came in a little earlier than expected," Blueno said, deep voice rumbling beneath the sounds of horses pulling wagons on the streets, over the complaining sounds of cattle being hustled through the narrow corridor between buildings nearby. "Madame wasn't expecting you this soon."

"It doesn't matter. I'm here, now. And, yes, the trip back east was lovely, thanks. We found who we were looking for."

Rising to his feet, standing near seven feet tall, the bouncer known as Blueno wasn't anybody to ignore. His dark skin was slightly dusty from sitting out on the porch, watching the world go by on the busy streets. The cold air of incoming winter made it important for all those walking outside to wear jackets, and the clouds overhead meandered thickly over the blue of the sky, promising uncomfortable cold. There was already frost on the windows in the morning, and the girls were already complaining about the lack of heat in the front room.

"Any word?" Blueno asked curiously, walking with Lucci to the front door, where the girls quickly made themselves scarce, save for the ones that were already entertaining a couple of cowboys in the nearby dining room. The house was nice and homey upon entrance – everything was clean. It looked as if one were walking into a private residence, and there were smells of apple pies coming from the kitchen, and the scent of cedar from the nearby office, where Madam Ivankov ruled the house with an iron fist.

"We should be moving out within the next few days," Lucci told him, removing his jacket. The animal fur lining the lapels, the collar, was soft and silky as Blueno took it. It smelled of fine cigars and dust from the wagon ride in, and he went to put it away as Lucci loosened the cuffs of his sleeves, causing the girls near the living room to look around nervously. The leather gloves he wore were removed, and Blueno took those, too, seeing that the women were looking anxious. "You'll be given notice soon enough. I hope she's found your replacement…?"

"She's prepared. Not happy, but prepared," Blueno assured him. "I'm not looking forward to the winter weather. I have a feeling this winter will be a bitch, this year. It was much too hot this summer."

"The northwest will be an entirely different environment than this one," Lucci assured him. "Is there a girl ready for me? I'd rather not see Sicily again."

"Ivankov would like to see you beforehand, to negotiate payment. She was unhappy with the treatment of Sicily the last time you visited."

With a roll of his eyes, Lucci wandered off to the office while Blueno took the stairs with his slow amble, the girls in the front room breathing sighs of relief. Inside the office, the elderly woman with a cigarette holder in between two fingers looked up from her books, setting her abacus down.

"You're back. _Too_ soon," she muttered, tapping ashes into an abalone shell. Her office was all sparkling beads, butterfly curtains with watercolor designs; cedar burned at the corner of her desk. The multi-colored rugs on the hard wood floor were bright and mismatched; silk robes, silk gowns and various wigs of multi-colors were hanging from the walls, as if taken from the scalp of different races. Lucci wondered if they were, considering the location of Aeneus in one of the most hostile regions of the west. The territory was not yet 'tamed'.

"Sicily never recovered after you. I don't know why men like you are allowed to places like these, when there are perfectly acceptable hostiles in the territory you could be taking advantage of."

Lucci bristled slightly, tightening his jaw. This woman forgot his bloodlines – or knew, and said it anyway. Sicily must have not mentioned to Ivankov what he'd said to cause Lucci such a fit the last time he was here.

"She took her life, you know."

"There's more to replace her. Tell me – was she buried a woman? Or a man?"

"You'll take care with your words, here. Two spirits are rare in these parts. Too afraid to reveal themselves after all the horrors put on them once they're exposed. I'm going to suggest you Candy…you'll like her. I suspect she was a former worker. Gimpy and useless in the show hall, but she's good with private entertainment. I raised my prices, recently, and here is the newest contract I made right after I buried poor Sicily."

Lucci took the paper with a frown, examining the delicately printed policies Ivankov had written up. After, he set it back onto the table. "These are different from the ones you had with Sicily."

"Like I said, Candy is more experienced. She can take a little roughage. Very professional."

"Good. I'm glad you're upfront with my needs."

"Having this lease with the government has me speaking more than I should, but I run an honest business. Now, sign it, and payment up front, please."

"There's an extra zero, here."

"You drove my poor Sicily to an early grave. And I heard you were promoted. It should be no big deal."

"You drive a hard bargain."

"You'll be back," Ivankov said, fluffing her hair with long nails. "I've prepared the girls for your visit, today, so Candy's aware of your tastes. As always, there is no penetration in this house, you filthy pig."

"She will see you, now," Blueno said from the doorway as Lucci tossed Ivankov her payment. Once she counted it to her satisfaction, she waved him off, returning to her books. Blueno gestured at the stairway.

"I'm just saying, maybe if we're closer to the coast, it won't snow so badly over there, than it does over here," Blueno said, leading the way. "I've always wanted to see the unexplored territories closer to the north. Good hunting."

"Great hunting," Lucci agreed.

Blueno indicated an open doorway, then said, "Sicily was a nice girl. It was a shame to bury her."

"So she _was_ buried a woman."

" _Be nice_." With that, Blueno went back downstairs, hands in his pockets. Lucci frowned after him, then walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. The room was neatly kept, smelled like patchouli – the windows were covered with dark red material, and there was a single cactus kept in a shiny pot atop of the white dresser nearby. The floor was bare, but gleamed with care – oiled and stained a nice shade of brown. There was a full size mirror facing the bed, and there was another one positioned on the wall at the head of the mattress, which was unexpected, considering how most of the girls were self-conscious of seeing themselves servicing customers throughout their work periods. What also stood out was that every piece of furniture in the room was pushed out from the wall, at least a few inches. The bed wasn't set against any wall, but allowed room for one to walk around it. The dresser was nearly covering up the window with its position in front of it. The ottoman was in the center of the room, and the couch was pushed at least five inches from the corner, giving ample walking around it.

The clothes hanging nearby were a mixture of gowns and an assortment of women's shoes, sloppily stuffed into the open closet. There were bottles of liquor and alcohol atop of the dresser, as well as a tray of glass cups. Being the biggest room, there was already a full tub near the windows, with a towel hung over the edge. It smelled like pine cones and salt, almost like being out in the woods on a rainy day. When he looked at Candy, he was definitely intrigued, because Candy looked at him with what he'd demanded from Sicily the last time. Bashful obedience.

The shortened strands around her face showed off a sharp jawline, a thin, straight nose, overly colored eyebrows that showed off the deep set of her blue-grey eyes. Pink, curled lips that were shiny with something extra. Sweet – not flashy. She brushed smooth blond hair from her shoulders – which were broad, muscles sinewy and graceful – and kept her eyes lowered in such a way that she was looking in his direction, just not making direct eye contact with him. She was dressed in a pink gown, with ruffles at the hem, the dress looking more like a girl's nightgown than woman's daywear. The animal fur shawl that had covered her shoulders was set aside, and when she walked to him, he noticed a limp, suggesting injury of her left leg.

"Let's make you comfortable. How would you like to be entertained?" she asked, a little too snarkily as her eyes ran over him, from head to toe before giving him an unimpressed frown.

"For one, I'm wearing too much."

Her painted pink lips curled briefly before she set them.

"As for my entertainment, I want to… _cuddle_."

She reached up and removed his hat, setting it aside on the coat and hat rack nearby, then gently brushed his hair from his shoulders, touching his neck. She had no fear or demands to her features, no sultry promises – just a flick of her eyes as she went to unravel his ribbon tie, to unbutton the pearl pieces of his shirt and vest. He leaned in to smell her, approving of the scent of powder and flesh. When he touched her hair, it was shiny and soft, and when he went to touch her bared shoulders, they were strong and silky.

"Say absolutely nothing to me, I want to do all the talking," he instructed. She nodded with a slight frown, brushing her hair from her face to focus on the task. "I don't want to hear any sound from you unless I ask for your voice. I want your body to entertain me, tonight."

She undressed him with all confidence of a woman already familiar with him, and she touched his bared skin with gentle strokes – as if making up for the cold chill of being exposed. When he stood naked in front of her, he gave her a pointed look.

"I'd feel more comfortable if you were a little more 'casual'," he said, indicating her bodice.

She reached up to loosen the ties, revealing only a flat pane of chest that gave him glimpses of pink nipples. Her admired the very look of her all over again – tall for a woman, her hair lightly curled, her makeup light to compliment soft features. Sicily had been over-made, over-exaggerated, but soft and gentle with her movements, and this one wasn't any of that. He liked that very much. Once she saw she had his overall approval in her appearance, she brushed her hair out of her face, then led him to the bed, encouraging him to sit first.

"Say nothing, do nothing, flat on your back," he instructed firmly, waiting for her to comply. She hesitated for a brief moment, but did as he instructed – taking her time with it, just to show off a rounded ass in the air, glimpse of smooth legs that had a surprising amount of muscle to them. When she flattened herself on the bed with her arms spread in the way he'd told Sicily to do – palms out, fingers curled, almost like the man that dangled from the wooden cross in Ivankov's office – Lucci was definitely appreciative. Not having to give orders made it easier for him. He brushed his hair behind one ear as he climbed atop of the bed, to look over the woman that looked up at the ceiling with concentration as he reached down to stroke himself.

He touched her shoulders, then her chest, shifting the bodice around so that it exposed most of her upper body to him. He didn't approve of the malnutrition indicated by bony ribs and a flash of chest plate now that the dress was revealing it all. His lip curled lightly at the sign of weakness, but he still leaned over to smell where the application of scent was – a dewy dash of oil at her chest. He touched her nipples, watching them respond to his fingertips. The sound of him stroking himself was the only sound in the room, and he licked soft skin before moving up to the tender throat. He nuzzled there, feeling no trace of stubble, bumping against Adam's Apple – he lightly nibbled up the sharp jawline and gently bit her earlobe.

"Open your legs, pretty girl," he encouraged, dropping his dick to touch her with both hands, smoothing down her front to watch her knees lift. He reached out for the hem of her gown and then reached under the material, expecting to find underwear, and finding nothing. He grinned, figuring Sicily had said something to them about his preferences.

He found her dick and balls – finding them warm, soft, smooth. He smelled his hand and was pleased at the clean scent there, reaching out to pull the bodice down to reveal one nipple. Stroking himself again, he pushed the layers of material up and over her hips. One leg was trembling noticeably. When he touched it, she tensed, and he released the first slap over her mouth.

" _Don't_ react," he told her, as her mouth tightened, then loosened. He pushed that leg to the side, and she gave a low growl, tensing, so that included another slap, hard enough to cut her teeth. Grabbing her chin, he leaned over her, watching blood bead up from the corner of her mouth.

"I told you. No noise. No _sound_ from you."

Once he was satisfied with her nod, he shifted from her hip to push himself between her legs. She lifted her head to give him a warning look, as if to remind him of Ivankov's rules, so he reached out with one hand and pushed her face back, leaning over her with a growl.

"I'm well aware of the rules," he said low, his other hand moving over her exposed parts, fondling gently before tightening his fingers around her balls and having her shout out with pain. This allowed him to grin, to slap that open mouth with an open palm. She reached up to grab his hand with steely fingers, jerking his hand from her face and then biting his forearm. When he reacted with a snarl, drawing back to examine the damage, she chuckled, supporting herself on her elbows as she watched him.

Sicily had been a wreck at this point – she'd started crying after he'd hit her the first time. This one looked at him defiantly, licking her lip wound with casual action. The moment he lunged at her with a closed fist, one long shin drew over his stomach, hips twisting, the ruined leg kicking upward and then hooking down over his shoulder, one hand snatching that swinging arm and pulling it hard so that he lost his balance over her, and she was suddenly atop of him, mounted over his stomach.

He stared at her as she steadied herself over him, palms flat on his chest. He had no idea what this move was, unfamiliar with the martial art, but damn if it didn't stop him from administering anymore abuse. It excited him, though, feeling his chest flutter with delight as she sat back on him, fixing her gown loosely.

"Cuddling doesn't include hitting, you selfish ape," she said tightly, frowning at him. "You want that sort of thing, hit the bar down the road and take it out on them."

"I told you, I didn't want you talking to me."

"I'm talking _at_ you, then. But I won't tolerate that sort of thing, today."

He considered her words thoughtfully as he touched her thighs, stroking upward, pushing the material up to touch more of her. She wiped her lip and chin, and he could smell the blood, which only excited him even more. He grabbed that hand, causing her to tense, but he licked her fingers, tasting the metallic tinge, the salty flavor of her own spit.

"Crazy ass bastard," she muttered with a curled lip, disdain clear on her features. She made to steady herself as he bucked his hips up, but while she was set firmly atop of him, riding with the movement, she clearly hadn't expected his strength as he forced her to the side and onto her stomach. He was told he had the strength of many men, his size deceiving – she hadn't expected that, giving a growl into the mattress, but he wasn't expecting her flexibility, either, one leg curled in between them, heel against his hip, her hips shifted – he couldn't enter her the way he'd intended once he had this position.

He chuckled low, leaning over her back. He pressed kisses over exposed skin, nuzzled against slim muscle…frowned at a protruding shoulder blade. He brushed her hair from her back so he could appreciate the view – didn't like the way her spine pushed at her skin.

"Doesn't Ivankov feed you?" he complained, pushing up against her leg, rubbing his erection on the smooth limb. He released her hand, to grab her hips, encouraging her to sit up against him. He hugged her tightly from behind, kissing and nuzzling her ear, her neck, her shoulders- gently bit the rounded strength of her deltoid. He touched her everywhere, mostly atop of the gown, feeling her tense against him – her hair smelled like scented oil and salt. Reaching between her legs, he pushed the material out of his way, found her dick. Stroked her with careful tenderness until she responded, giving a soft sound as she pushed up against him.

Smiling lightly, Lucci played with her until her body softened against him. He kissed her cheek, moving towards her mouth before she turned her head away, causing him to stop pleasuring her. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look his way. "Give me a kiss."

"No."

"This body is mine to do with it as I please for an hour."

" _Body_ – not mouth."

He smeared the pale color of her lips to the side, coloring his thumb with it. He liked the streak it left on her skin, mixed lightly with blood. He growled, biting her neck lightly, saying, "I like you."

"Well, I don't like you, so…"

He pushed her onto the bed, made to grab her hips again, but she rolled away from him, foot on his chest. He noticed it was her good leg – he lunged forward to set his shin on her other leg, causing her to grimace, so he shoved the first out of the way, grabbing her roughly as he set all his weight onto that leg. It made her cry out, so he wrapped his fingers around her neck and squeezed.

"Call for help," he suggested, watching her fight to pull his fingers away, her face reddening, turning a violent shade as seconds passed. " _Call_ for it. Tell Blueno to help you."

When he gave her a chance, he was surprised she didn't try. Just kicked him across the face, knocking him onto his side while she coughed and fought for breath. He laughed again, getting up to lay over her, pushing her gown up and over her hips. She twisted her hips and was on her back, knee up into his stomach. She heaved that limb up and suddenly he was on the floor, off the bed.

He growled, climbing up to his feet and found her looking at him with an amused smirk, legs crossed behind her. His fists tightened, and she laughed at the sight of them trembling at his sides, rolling over to lay on her back. When he struck out, she was off onto the other side of the bed, facing him.

"There are _rules_ , bastard," she said, hiding her smile behind a hand. "If you can't follow simple rules, then get the fuck out."

"Why is my food forcing me to work for it?" he asked aloud as he crawled atop of the bed. She backed up cautiously, testing the weight on her left leg before avoiding the swipe of his arms, and suddenly shoving the full length mirror in front of him, causing him to bang his face off it. he shoved that aside, then stalked after her as it crashed against the wall with a loud clatter. "Come here and _cuddle_ with me."

Before she could say anything, the door opened – but she kicked it shut. "Fuck out of here!" she snapped, reaching back and locking it as she faced him.

Lucci was amused at this point, especially when Blueno cleared his throat politely. "Both of you are making too much noise, and Ivankov is concerned about your welfare."

"This is a party of two, so fuck on out of here, Blueno!"

"… _Rude_."

Candy walked away from the door, still looking at Lucci with irritation. Lucci followed her with head movement only, then turned away from the door as she grabbed a bottle from the dresser, opening the top. She took a short drink, then put it aside with a smack of her lips.

"Aren't you going to offer me any?" Lucci asked, slowly venturing towards her once more.

"No."

He suddenly laughed, and, brushing his hair behind his ears, he gave up the chase. With a flashy wave of his hands, he indicated that she watch as he took that time to put on his pants, to show that he wasn't going to push for anything more. She did relax a little, but as she walked around the bed, he suddenly realized why the room was set up as it was. She'd created an obstacle course for her benefit, to use against him in such a case. Seeing all the furniture shifted unnaturally out of place, giving her room to move, suddenly filled him with pleasure, and he laughed hard.

Especially when he kicked the ottoman up and into the air towards her, forcing her to duck away from him, and the moment he did, he was on the couch behind her, grabbing her with both hands – a second later, he was being slammed down hard onto the floor as she tossed him with an expertly placed throw. On his feet in seconds, he kicked the couch towards the wall to trap her there, and she jumped up and over the couch with a troubled frown, stumbling a little – he used that advantage to land a kick to the gut, knocking her flat against the wall. She recovered quickly, darting up with a quick lunge of her good leg and landing the knee of her bad leg against his face as he made to step in. the hit knocked him off his feet and into the dresser, causing the thing to screech noisily across the floor, banging into the wall with a loud protest. Everything atop of it rattled violently.

As he made to reset himself, growing furious by the unexpected treatment, she landed a foot directly into his chest, and this time, both he and the dresser went inches deep into the wood. Elizabeth, in the room next to Candy, screamed with surprise and fear as she woke up to the sound of her roommate's furniture penetrating her side of the wall. When she saw it, she screamed again, and scrambled out of bed, shouting for Blueno.

Lucci laughed with merriment, picking himself up from the mess, rubbing his chest. Then he was tackling Candy hard into the opposite wall, knocking the wind from her – they emerged into Bella's room, and Bella was in the middle of putting her wig on just so she could go out and investigate the noise, so when they tumbled over the floor, she shrieked bloody murder, certain that Candy was being killed in front of her. She ran out, screaming for Blueno.

Candy had her forearms up against Lucci's throat to keep him from completely crushing her, and she bucked her hips up and twisted, sweeping his supporting leg out from under him so that she was now on top. She expected his next movement, and curled one leg around him with a death grip, the other reaching out to support herself as Lucci tried to buck her off. He couldn't, so he grabbed both arms and rolled his feet up and over his own head, smashing her into the floor just above his head. She twisted the moment she hit, and he still couldn't mount her as she turned to the side and kept her backside guarded by using Bella's heavy chaise lounge as protection. She kicked out with one foot and caught him in the throat, causing him to choke. Then she kicked him with the same foot, and was on her feet in moments, eking a grunt as she whipped her bad leg around and knocked him through Bella's open door. He skidded across the hall and broke through the banister, catching himself from falling to the first floor as Caroline nearly tripped over him as she made to go investigate the noise. She ran for Blueno, who looked intensely hassled as he had all the girls swamping him for protection.

" _Stop this immediately_!" Ivankov shouted, racing up the stairway as Lucci pulled himself from the mess, laughing. The other women were terrified of this. They crowded around Blueno for protection as Ivankov swept past him, headed towards Lucci as he picked himself up. "You're destroying my property! What are you doing? _Candy_! What - ?"

"We've still got a half hour left," Candy told her, stepping out from Bella's wrecked room. She fixed her hair, giving the man an expression of disdain as he wiped his pants free from wood shards, looking a little mad.

"This isn't what I had in mind when you said you'd _handle_ him," Ivankov growled, leaning in close as Candy turned her head with a muttered, "'Ch."

"Don't 'ch' me! Look at these walls! My _furniture_! _Ah_! You even destroyed _Elizabeth's room_? What's the matter with you? LUCCI!"

"Calm down, it's not like I'm hurting her any, right?" he said, brushing past her on his way back to Candy's room. "Not _yet_ , at least. I'm being nice, like Blueno asked."

"'Blueno'? My request overrides his!" Ivankov yelled as Candy followed after Lucci, both of them headed through Bella's room to return to hers. Ivankov found out why as she tried to open Candy's door, and found it locked. The door immediately rumbled with force as something heavy crashed against it. There was the intense shatter of glass, and she screamed in horror, looking at Blueno. "Stop this mess! _Stop_ it, I order you!"

"I can try," he said reluctantly, pushing out from the girls crowded around him, intending on walking through Bella's room to do so. But the moment he ducked under the hole in the wall, the couch slammed into him and sent him stumbling backwards into the bed. The girls screamed with utter dismay as they saw him fall.

Ivankov turned to them, and then shooed them towards the downstairs for safety. As they were making their way towards the living room, she heard Candy give a short scream of pain, followed by Lucci's laugh as something crashed to the floor. Then there was the ominous sound of a continuous rocking, which made Ivankov lose the will to interfere because she was familiar with that noise. She ushered the girls out of the house as Blueno followed, looking glum.

: :

When Lucci lifted his head to look at Candy twenty minutes later, she was looking off in another direction, indifferent to his pleasure. Only minutes previously, when he finally pinned her down to mount her, he expected to get in, take his pleasure and get out, but Candy was made of different stuff. She turned his intended rape into something for herself, where she took control of him – _she_ let him in, _she_ let him feel he was dominating her, but when it became clear that her movements weren't those of a helpless maiden and those of a seasoned one, he let her have her moment. She controlled him from atop of him and prolonged his pleasure until she could get hers. _Then_ finished him off.

This wasn't what he'd expected to have when he walked in, today. It was safe to say he'd fallen for her. She wasn't a weak woman, in need of protection or domination. She was the same stuff he was, and he enjoyed that immensely.

But seeing this sudden indifference after the sick passion earlier set him off. It was a total turn around, so to be brushed off like this enraged him. He leaned over her, shaking his head with disdain, his long hair falling over her features and causing her to brush it away.

"I'm not happy," he said low, pushing his forehead against hers, nuzzling her face as she looked at him warily.

"You're so hard to please," Candy muttered. She jerked her head back to avoid his teeth as he made to bite her, and he chuckled, reaching between them to brush her hair hard from her scalp, finding the pins that kept the wig in place. Candy pushed his hand away, then pushed his body off her. She straightened her dress over herself as she limped away from the bed, headed to the dresser with the pitcher of water. Lucci looked at her with a flat expression, his temper showing only in the slight flush to his face and neck.

She poured herself water and drank it, facing away from him, and Lucci felt his fingers curl into fists on the bed.

"Get back here, and _cuddle_ with me," he said low.

"You've got ten more minutes left, and that water's getting cold," she said.

Leaving the bed, Lucci stalked over towards her, reaching for her, and then finding himself looking into a barrel of a gun. For a few moments, he was startled, a little shamed that he'd find himself killed naked in a transvestite brothel. Then he realized there were no bullets in the gun.

Candy smirked at him, tilting the gun up and holding the trigger down – flame licked the muzzle instead, and she lit her hand rolled cigarette, exhaling smoke in his direction. " _Idiot_."

Lucci grabbed her by her neck and slammed her up against the dresser. He could feel himself growing enraged all over again – furious that she could feel free to call him names, to tease him. She spit the cigarette into his face, and it burned his cheek, forcing him away from her.

" _Fuck_!" he shouted furiously, touching his face. His breathing evened out as the pain faded. With a grit of his teeth, he waited until he could trust himself to move without wanting to hurt. "Sorry, girly. Temper, and all."

"Understandable. Now get the fuck out of my room."

Lucci wiped his face. His eyes narrowed, and he felt his chest tightening up with building outrage. Where he usually felt relief and satisfaction after sex, he felt that tiny room inside of him build with hot anger all over again.

"Where are you from?" he asked curiously, reaching out with one hand. When she moved to keep it from touching her, he indicated that he was only reaching to extend a comforting hand. She allowed it once she determined he wasn't going to hurt her – _just yet_ – and he rubbed her arm, stepping in close. Out of kicking range. She knew it, looking at him with a slight loss of confidence, eyes showing a bit of fear before she narrowed them with warning.

"The south," she answered curtly, as he took her hair in one hand, admiring the strands. He combed through the handful he'd captured, until he could touch her head, patting her shoulder like one would with a friend. Before reaching in and encircling her neck with that hand, drawing up against her, pushing her up against the dresser. This time, her fear showed – the tightness of her breath, the way her eyes rounded and showed panic, the way her other hand came between them to settle on his chest. Without room to move, she couldn't do anything fancy to escape.

"You don't have an accent," he pointed out, leaning in to smell her flesh, closing his eyes to do so. "You smell good. What is this scent you use?"

"It's called the Get the Fuck of Me scent. Brand new. Shipped it in from the east."

"You're so _funny_ ," he said, before squeezing her neck and forcing her away from the dresser, shoving her away from him. "It's time for me to go. I want a bath."

She turned to make her way to the tub, mumbling something under her breath when he came up behind her, one arm around her waist and the other around her chin. He slammed her against the bed, making sure she felt the pressure on her neck. As she caught her breath, fear making her tremble against him, he soothed it with a gentle rub on her hip, making comforting circles with his fingers. Touching her gently while his other hand twisted her chin into one direction, and the pressure of his shoulder held her in place, moments from snapping her neck.

Once she calmed her breathing, relaxing to let him know that he had the upper hand, he said against her cheek, "I have no qualms about dispatching of your remains in Ivankov's backyard. I get paid for killing worthless, weak creatures much like yourself. When I come to you, I don't want to hear lip – I just want comfort, to ease away all the stresses of a demanding job. That's all I ask of you. Is that so hard for you to satisfy?"

At the slight shake of her head, Lucci applied more pressure. There was a pop, and a breathless squeak of panic from her, but he stopped just enough to keep the vertebrae from snapping out of place. All he did was relieve the pressure from the space between.

He straightened up from her, spanking her lightly. "That's a girl. Now, wash me."

: :

After, he soaked himself in the tub, feet at the top edges. He enjoyed the cigar Candy gave him, blowing smoke rings towards the ceiling. She was looking sullen, staring at the washcloth in her lap, and every time she looked at him, her blue grey eyes seemed to burn with temper and disgust. It amused him. Her stiff posture told him she didn't know how to read him, didn't know what he'd do next – treat her with kindness, or with pain. Her left cheek was already bruised from earlier, her lip swollen, broken blood vessels looking like freckles over her pale skin.

"Come here," he said, waving her close. She followed his instruction, and he pulled her into the tub, clothes and all. After adjusting himself around her, Lucci stroked her head, pushing hair from her shoulders so that he could press kisses to the soft skin. Forced her face back to stroke the length of her throat, admire the fiercely beating pulse spot near her jaw. He then reached down low, shifting aside wet material of her gown aside so he could find her dick. He stroked and played with it until it hardened. "You took care of me, today, let me take care of you. You've done me so well, you deserve to be treated special."

He left hickies on her shoulder as he stroked her to completion, enjoying the sound of her soft moans and encouraging curses, the feel of her fingers and hands as they reached back to clutch him.

Afterward, he headed downstairs to Ivankov's office, wearing a pleased expression. She glared at him, cigarette holder at her lips. All the hate in the world was there on her heavily made up face, and he couldn't care less.

"I'll be back within the week. She should be healed by then, and the repairs completed to your home."

Ivankov reddened, heavily made eyes burning furiously. "You _bastard_! Goddamn heathen! Savage!"

"Compliments, compliments," Lucci said, taking his coat from Blueno, then his gloves. He left the house and Ivankov left her office, heading upstairs.

There were a few girls already in the room, tending to Candy with quiet tears and soft expressions. But she only looked at Ivankov, who touched her chest with vague relief to see her intact and unusually well off. It always tore her apart to see her girls being left in an abused state; but while they were usually shocked, hysterical, comatose from the abuse Lucci dished out, this one looked indifferent to it. Her suspicions rose tenfold.

Ivankov waved the girls away. All of them were distressed, and she knew it'd be a hassle to calm them. Rob Lucci always put the fear of the devil into all of them, and today was no different. She examined the damage caused to the room, shaking her head with incredulous action. She stood near Candy and examined her face. Blueno shut the door for her, leaving them on their own.

"He paid plenty for you, and for the repairs. Those government bastards are loaded when they want to be. I can't ignore his patronage, being that we're inside their compound, but I want to know this – who the fuck are you?"

"You said we couldn't have our real names, again," Candy said without pause, touching her lower lip tenderly. "So, my name is Candy, now."

Ivankov narrowed her eyes. "You walk with your back to the wall. You're scared to death of Blueno, and you refuse to venture into the downstairs living room when it's full of men. You play sick when it's time for us to walk outside –you did _this_!"

She indicated the room with a grand gesture, once again dismayed with the state of it. giving short sounds of panic as she investigated the holes that clearly allowed her visibility into both Bella and Elizabeth's rooms. She looked once more at Candy, who was suddenly undressing, ripping everything off herself and headed to the bathroom. There, she ran hot water, steam covering the mirror, and began to wash herself; cupping her hands under the stream and tossing it over her flesh, rubbing soap painfully over her skin, nails scratching everywhere she had felt Lucci's touch.

Ivankov rushed over and yanked her away from the task, startled because it seemed Candy had disassociated herself from the scene, and wasn't even paying attention to the task. She was just trying to clean herself of the man's leftovers as best as she could, and Ivankov realized that Candy was more affected by the situation than she said she was. Sex workers were like this. Letting their bodies take the damage, hiding away their minds in the process. Her suspicions were nullified.

"Here, I'll draw you a bath, and you can use my best soap to clean yourself off," she said with comfort, covering Candy's body with a towel to give her some privacy. She used the best words she could think of to apply comfort in this situation. "Let me help you, I want to help you. Let's make you clean again, and we can do that, here. There is no shame here, we care for you. We want the best for you. We'll take care of you, okay? You're magnificent and _strong_ , you did your best against that lunatic. Let us help you, let us love you. You matter to us, and we want to help you. Can you hear me?"

When Candy nodded vaguely, her expression still so distant and far away, Ivankov hugged her gently, murmuring comforting words all the way to her room.


	2. Part Two

**A/N: When he's dressed as a woman, I'm identifying Sanji as Candy – just to clarify up any confusion.**

 **Part Two**

When he came again, there wasn't warning. He was suddenly there within the group of Marine officials that had just showed up, picking their entertainment before the main act in the show hall could start, and by the time the girls noticed, they were so startled that most of them dashed away with fright, leaving their intended patrons bewildered. Ivankov growled once she caught sight of him, and shook with rising disgust as he removed his jacket and gloves.

"Be a dear and put these aside," he told her, looking for Candy. "I hope she's not already entertaining."

"You weren't supposed to be here tonight!" Ivankov snapped, dropping Lucci's things to the floor as the others shuffled around nervously behind him, Blueno shaking his head at them. "You were supposed to give me advance notice!"

"My wagon came in early, today."

"You were supposed to be gone for a week!"

"Look at you, so cute, all blustered and flushed. That glow makes you look fifty, again."

"I'm not _that_ old!" she snapped at him, red-faced as he chuckled, looking unconcerned with her temper.

"Ivankov." Candy's voice was soft from the top of the stairs, where she'd felt safe looking over the action below, away from the group of men. Blueno looked surprised that he hadn't noticed her before. "I'm free."

Feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to endanger her place with angering the wrong people, and yet wanting to protect her girls, Ivankov frowned tightly. Her rouged lips thinned, and she frowned up at Lucci, who was looking as pleased as a cat that swallowed a canary. Once the other girls realized he wasn't looking at them, they slowly began to reveal themselves from other rooms, peeking cautiously around the hall corners, from behind first floor doors.

Ivankov gave a hard swallow. "Fine. Sign the necessary paperwork. Pay up front. There is an extra ten involved, for the damage caused the last time you were here, and for the loss of profit in the meantime, as she couldn't work."

"Excellent."

Nearly an hour later, Lucci could hear the other girls entertaining their men in the other rooms. Some of them were laughing and drinking, entertained with stories and a good time, and there were some definite "happy endings" from others. He could hear the singing and dancing happening in the other building outside, everyone having a grand time.

He was in bed with her, just touching and talking, but it was mostly him doing the talking. He would touch, she would either accept or fight, depending on what he was administering, and then he would talk. He liked her snarky replies, and he liked the way she touched and comforted him – combing through his hair with her fingers, massaging his muscles with her soft hands. But even as her action screamed tenderness, her disdain was obvious, and he liked that about her. Kept him from getting too angry, or taking advantage of any small sign of weakness.

He twisted to look over Candy's sullen expression, reaching out to push her hair from her face so he could take it in entirely. She waved him away, and he gripped that wrist tightly, forcing her to touch him in return. She frowned as she watched her own hand pat him atop of his head.

"Just a light petting will do," he assured her, leaning in to bite lightly at her exposed chest, settled between her legs. "Pet me."

"Like a damn dog?" she asked, voice heavy with disdain as he felt her tense. She patted him atop of the head, then grimaced as he touched her left leg.

"How'd this happen?" he asked her curiously, gently treating the limb with a soft touch, feeling along her smooth thigh and finding the difference in muscle tone. He looked at her, taking in the sight of her. He liked the way the pale gold nightgown – most of it just sheer material - hung carelessly from one shoulder, exposing half of her chest to him; he liked the way her hair fell, the sassy tilt of her head as she looked at him with contempt. But he also liked the way that expression turned to fear; pupils wide, breath quick, and a pale change of flesh beneath her rouge whenever he lifted a hand to administer a slap for something he didn't like, or to set her back into her place once she felt bold enough to venture away from it.

"Horse kick."

He reached in to gently touch the newly split lip he'd given minutes earlier, when she refused to kiss him. She flinched slightly. "Snapped it in two?"

She bit his finger hard enough for him to retract with a hiss. "Mm hmm."

"What a shame," he said low, lowering himself to kiss the inside of her thigh while she watched him warily, hands at the ready, just in case he did something to cause her pain. But his touch and his mouth was gentle, and when he felt her relax slightly, he pushed back up to loom over her, pushing up against her insistently. "Let me in."

" _No_ , you bastard."

"I don't like being told 'no'."

"Get used to it," she muttered, tightening her lips as he leaned in towards her again, eying her mouth. "What is with you and that?"

"I like to feel close to someone I like," Lucci said, and he pushed in close to her face, nuzzling her cheek, licking along her jawline. Biting gently, but enough to pinch her as she gave a sharp curse.

"You remind me of a cat," Candy complained, pushing his head away. "Headbutting. Nuzzling. Getting your damn fur all over the place."

He chuckled as she waved her fingers about, dislodging the long strands of black hair from them.

"Where are you from?" Lucci then asked, reaching between them to push the pale gold material of her skirt up, to expose the rest of her to him. Then he shoved the material away, to find her lower stomach. He nosed the hard flesh there, tasted the light salt of her flesh. Reached between them to palm the bony protrusion of her hip before lifting his head with dislike. He looked at her with a hard squeeze of his hand, causing her to frown at him. "What am I paying Ivankov for?"

"If you don't like it, leave. A lady has to fit her dresses somehow."

"Women should be full and round and curvy, with extra to spare. An indication of good health."

"And men?"

"Strong and unbending, and I already find that here," he assured her, touching her bared ass, then running his hands along her legs, finding pleasure in seemingly neverending limbs. He pressed gentle kisses to the inside of her knees, to gently knead her heels with his thumbs. "Where are you from?"

"The south."

"Then why are you up here?"

"My family wanted me married to some guy."

"So they passed you off as a girl?"

"Mm."

He slapped her ass hard, then chuckled when she made to push him away, sitting up away from him. He leaned in to kiss her bared shoulder, brushing her hair from one side to the other. Hugged her tightly, to run his hands over her body, pushing his erection against her stomach.

"Let me in…take care of me. I had a hard week."

" _No_."

His fingers buried deep into her hair, and he yanked her hard to the side, crawling atop of her. Once she was pinned, he leaned over her, pushing up her dress. He held onto her hair with one hand and used the other to penetrate her with his finger, causing her to tense up, giving a short curse as she pushed at him.

" _Let me in_. You're so warm, tight. _This_ is what I want. Why give it out in the first place, but not the second?" he asked, burying that finger up to his knuckle. Then retracted it, pushing it in again. "Loosen up for me."

"There's a reason for rules, you bastard."

"It's either this, or my fists. I come here for the stress relief. How do you think I feel, every week, listening to these people dictate the things I do, killing hundreds just so they can lay land for hopefuls wanting a piece of the new world?"

"Find another job!"

"You know what I did to Sicily? She wasn't like you," he said, using another finger, hearing her give a low sound of distress. He kissed her hip, licked the rigid flexing her hips, biting just enough for her to feel it. "She wasn't strong enough to take my temper. She cried. And when girls cry, I don't know what to do. I tend to panic. I try to comfort them, but you know how that gets – I just get excited. So when I get excited, I tend not to stop until I'm satisfied. I guess that's why she hung herself, huh?"

"She was a nice girl."

"That's what they all say, but she wasn't nice enough. Now, you're different. You've been nice to me once. And I won't forget that. So, be nice again. Before I get _excited_."

Candy said nothing for a few moments, then her attitude changed. She looked at him, and Lucci stopped finger fucking her to take in that expression. He brushed her hair from her face, pulled strands from her chest to lay it out around her head, touching her chin. He didn't know that she'd changed into another state of mind just to keep him from escalating the situation into a violent one. To accept his advances as _her_ choice, rather than fight him – self protection, from years working as a prostitute.

"I don't want to stay here, anymore," she said to him. "I'm thinking of leaving soon."

"What? Why?" Lucci asked, puzzled. He indicated the room. "You are being sheltered, bathed, clothed – maybe not fed enough, but you are taken care of. Why?"

Candy pushed her skirt down, settling uncomfortably underneath him. She reached up to fiddle with his nipples, to chew nervously on her healed lip. She either knew exactly what she was doing, or she didn't – either way, Lucci's attention was definitely caught.

"I'm afraid they'll catch up," she said low. "I've made enough to buy a ticket West – I am planning on leaving. With having said that, I'll give you a free pass. You mentioned _you're_ leaving for some job things, right?"

Sitting up, Lucci frowned down at her. She spit into her hand, to reach for his dick. Stroking him slowly, maintaining eye contact, she said, "So think of this as a 'goodbye' gift."

"All right, then," he muttered, frowning. "But I doubt Ivankov will agree to this so easily, considering how much I'm giving her."

"She knows I hate going outside – she won't suspect that I'll just up and leave. She'll assume I'm in my room," Candy reassured him, sitting up in front of him. She lowered her head and began to service him. For a few minutes, Lucci let her do so, gratified by her talent. She knew exactly how long to suck, how to tease, how to take him in. he watched her bob her head, watched her stroke him, listened to the sounds of her light gagging as she took him in too deep. When she finally lifted her eyes, her mascara was running around her eyes, lipstick smeared, saliva glistening around her mouth and chin – a definite sight indeed.

She wiped her mouth with a smirk, asking, "You won't be sad to find me gone the next time you visit, right? Because that would be weird."

"I'll just find another to replace you."

"Then I won't feel so bad," she said with a shrug, intending on finishing the job before he pushed her back, crawling between her legs. Instead of fighting him, she opened her legs, and she let him in. Just as she did the first time, she took control of him, to have him trembling, wanting more, sucked in by her mixed languages and fierce fucking, making him follow her as her body took over his. He didn't mind losing himself in her, forgetting who he was, forgetting what he did that week – he was caught up in the feel of her hands, her ass taking in his dick, her legs squeezing him, her mouth biting and forgiving. She still looked at him with hate, but her fingers were in his hair and she took his pleasure easily, fast, and at that moment, he knew he was not going to let her go.

Afterward, while he lounged in the tub, he frowned over at her. She was fixing her makeup at the vanity, smacking her lips to freshen up her lipstick, and he waved her over. With an exasperated sigh, she slapped down her pot of color and wandered over. He liked the way his cum dribbled down her legs, hitting the hardwood floor as she walked.

He pulled her into the tub with him, wrapping his arms around her as she stiffened up against him. "Where out west can I find you?" he asked her, drawing the washcloth over her chest, clothes and all.

"Never. I plan on being far away from you," she answered with a frown.

"Fine," he said, dropping the washcloth and reaching for her dick, playing with it before stroking slowly. He kissed her neck, her face, biting lightly at her shoulders. Felt her dick harden, her body start to relax. Minutes later, when she came and she was resting back against him, he shook his hand free of the substance, then reached over to touch her chin. "Either I come looking for you, or you make it easy for me, and invite me."

"I'm going to make it clear right now, _I don't like you_ ," she complained, holding his arm once it curled around her neck. When he started to tighten, she tucked her chin into it, and he was amused at the move – it prevented him from choking her. It made his suspicions ring, how easily she accepted pain, how comfortable her body was to defend. It always seemed ready to move, ready to hurt.

"I always find who I'm looking for," he assured her, petting her wet hair. She waved his hand away before he could pull her wig off.

She shifted in the tub, to give him a bright smile. "I heard you're looking for the Strawhats, is that true?"

He scowled, leaning against the edge of the tub. She had a pretty smile, but he didn't like what brought it on. "Where'd you hear that?"

"You and Blueno do not know how to talk quietly together," she said. She leaned up against him, to fiddle with his goatee. "So? Are you? I've read about them in the paper Ivankov tries to hide from us. Now, _that's_ an exciting lifestyle! How good it'd be to be a bandit! All that freedom to do what you wanted, without anyone holding you back, demanding that you pay and give - !"

"So, you'd _want_ to be a bandit?" Lucci asked, frowning at her. "It's not an acceptable life. Stealing from others, with no responsibilities, running from the law – what sort of life is that?"

For some reason, her face softened significantly. Whether it was from his words, or the content, but _something_ he said made her eyes glisten before she caught herself, looking away hastily. Blinking repeatedly, she wiped around her eyes then looked at him with slow smile.

"So they sent _you_ after them. Hmf. They're too strong for you," she said haughtily.

"Nobody is 'too strong' for me,'" he said evenly. "This has been a long time coming. Their reign of terror has been allowed to rule for too long, and while they will suffer for their crimes, I find it fitting that it's me they sent for them. They want justice to be administered for the deaths of over three hundred Marines – they want answers for the death of Donquixote Doflamingo – "

"That's…huh."

Lucci shifted aside her hair to look at her profile, finding her looking off to the side with an unreadable expression. "Was he the one you were running from?"

"… _Yes_. Um…that family, in the south, where their weapons factory…they had a brothel. They…I worked there for some time, until…until I managed to escape, and…when I heard he was on the move from Dressrosa, I just…I panicked. i…I never wanted to go back."

"You said you were running from an arranged marriage - !"

"I did! I was! But I fell in love with a man who helped me run away, and – he sold me to the brothel, and - ! From there, that's what happened! That's why i…"

"Something about your story doesn't add up," he said, sitting up in the tub. "Who is your family? So that I may verify this with our records."

"On a farm, in the south, near the river – close to the coast. The family name is Christy, I'm the eldest son," she said hastily, looking at him with dread. "Please…I can't go back…they'll kill me. I want to live."

Lucci released her. The way she faced him made him feel that she wasn't lying. He reached up to soothe the light tremble of her chin, to smear the pattern of mascara from her cheeks. He admired her features; the sharp jawline, the trace of stubble at her chin, the faint lines of the sun at the corners of her eyes. While she wore makeup to hide the masculinity, there was too much of it, there. Her fingers weren't soft –they were callused. Her arms were covered with scars caused by what looked like a long ago knife fight, stitched terribly together. Her legs bore scars of various imprints, suggesting intense battles. Her midsection was intensely strong and ridged with muscle, and her shoulders were wide, able to carry much weight – she was not always a woman of leisure. She was a warrior of some sort, and while it intrigued Lucci, it was also something he admired. Any woman that could kick him through walls and make him work for a moment like this was worth his time and money.

He didn't like the thought of picturing her as a man. Her true self would turn him off harshly. Candy didn't know how much safer from him she was as a woman, because the moment she became a man, he would definitely go in for the kill without second thought.

"I don't like your enthusiasm for the Strawhats' lifestyle. They're criminals. They need to be brought back down to earth. I will be the one to do it."

Candy snorted ungracefully. "Good luck with that."

"And when I do, I expect you to be _here_."

"I'm not staying."

"We'll see about that," he assured her, leaning back against the tub. "I'll make damn sure you can't leave the compound. Right now, you're my favorite. And I always take care of my favorites."

Candy studied him for a few moments; then, when he thought she was going to smirk or smile at him, she turned her head, as if admitting some type of defeat.

: :

Her train ticket was denied, and she fumed at the counter, knowing it was _his_ doing. The man behind the counter gave her a sheepish shrug, telling her she was on the No Travel list.

"Your family is concerned of your whereabouts, miss," he assured her gently. "Besides, don't you see the storm coming in? Winters are harsh in these parts."

"Thank you," she said, in her 'normal' voice, and his eyes widened as she grabbed her suitcase and stomped away. Outside of the train station, she looked around herself with frustration. She dared not reveal herself as her 'true' form, because this was a goddamn Marine compound, and Sanji Blackleg was a Wanted man. Her best bet was keeping the disguise and looking for another way out.

She looked at the denied ticket, noting that there was a _train or coach_ stamp at the top. She headed in search of the coach services, looking for other possibilities. She found it, and watched the drivers from a distance, just to determine which one to approach first. Out of all of them, there was one moving about anxiously while the others were focused on conversation, looking over their vehicles. This one smoked cigarette after cigarette, sweating in the cold weather, and fanned himself with his hat; he was waiting for something under the table, she knew, and he would be her ride out.

An hour later, Sanji presented a stolen ticket from one of the customers waiting for a five o'clock passageway out on another coach. The driver didn't even look at it. He made to take his suitcase, but Sanji held it tight. He was dressed in male clothing with a hat he stole off from a bar stool in the nearby tavern, and he had his female persona in the suitcase. The driver indicated that he get in without looking for his identification, and the coach was off. He looked out the window to see a bewildered man with an outrageous ten gallon hat looking for a specific coach, looking just as nervous as the driver had.

Once they were out of the compound and on their way through a hilly roadway headed west, Sanji redressed in his female clothing, taking his time to apply makeup, to fix his hair. When she was finished she pulled her honey mink cape tight around herself, feeling the chill in the air as she watched the scenery pass from the open windows.

It had been easy to slip away from the house that morning – most of the girls were asleep, and Blueno had left a day earlier, so the newest bouncer was unfamiliar with the habits of the women staying there. Ivankov had taken off to the bank, and that was when Candy left. It wasn't that much of a surprise – Ivankov had bought her the ticket, either as apology for steering Lucci her way or as 'thanks' for taking him on.

She fiddled with her skirts – it was a dark maroon dress, heavy for the cold weather, and she wore her hair half up and half down, with a hat atop of it. Her clip-on earrings were only paste, and her honey mink cape was a gift from a customer. Her pantyhose itched, catching on the hair regrowing on her legs after she'd shaved them for Lucci's visit the other night.

It had been nearly three months since the fight on the train. Sanji had broken his leg from the fall, and landed into a trench that railroad workers had created to transport their supplies up and down the mountain. A pair of miners had found him, and had taken him to town. He didn't react very well to the act of kindness – old fears hit him hard, and while the pair had been bewildered to the wild fight he put up with their efforts to help him, they moved him to town anyway. The doctor there had reset his leg, given him antibiotics and sedatives to calm him down, then turned him into the local law enforcement because there had been a train accident discovered, and he thought Sanji was a part of that mess. The sheriff had taken him into custody, certain he was a Strawhat bandit, and intended on transporting him to the Marine compound nearby – the mountain range base, Aeneus, was larger than Cactus Rock. With the Marines alerted to the train wreck, they were sent out to investigate it.

Even with his leg out of commission, Sanji had taken control of the wagon that intended on taking him to the base. So he caught the attention of the Marines' headed that way. Most of them went after him, leaving only a few to continue on, and that was okay, because he was sure the others could handle that number. The wagon chase lasted for miles in the opposite direction, and by the time he reached a railroad town, the horses were done for and the Marines were short-tempered. He hid in the town, scavenging scraps fed to pigs from a nearby yard, and disguised himself as an old woman when he came across a wig tossed from someone's house. He rubbed pig shit on himself to discourage any close up investigating and put on quite a show as a hobbling, batty old woman wearing a cape.

For a week he lingered there, the Marines searching for him fruitlessly. When they left town, he hitched a ride on the passing train heading northwest, and found himself hindered by it stopping right _inside_ the Marine compound he was trying to avoid in the first place. At this time, his leg was infected. It was only sheer luck that he ran into Ivankov on her way to the bank, who took pity on him. It was easy to shift from being a batty old woman to a she-male that was running from tormentors, and Ivankov took immediate care, no more questions asked. She had a doctor look over his leg, give him antibiotics, and fixed up other infections caused by his dash across the state.

In return, she expected him to entertain with the other girls. She truly was a gift from a God he didn't believe in, because her rules were for the safety of women. Their mission was to _entertain_ the fellows, not sexually satisfy them – there was a brothel for that up the road, but it wasn't to say that the girls occasionally participated for something extra.

He used this down time to heal, because he could not kick with his full weight behind it, and he'd heard of the Strawhats' escape from the area, distancing themselves into a location unknown. He knew they'd come back to find him, and that was something he could not let them do.

So he made money for Ivankov. Enough to buy postcards that he addressed to a Auntie Nori - a codename he and Nami came up with in case this situation every happened. He then sent them to every available post office in the area the Strawhats had last been seen. Nearly a month went by, and when he received one with a picture of Montana's mountains in the distance, he nearly lost his resolve.

He'd recognize Law's handwriting anywhere, and to know that the man knew he was safe – it made things a little easier. But just hearing his name, seeing his Wanted poster in the newspapers Ivankov tried to hide from them, even just hearing the meaning of his name made Sanji incredibly weak inside. He wanted nothing more to be reunited with him, but he had to be careful about it, to not draw the Marines' attention their way. The postcard stamp was a town three hours to the east – they'd gone in that direction just to avoid the Marines, and he'd sent another postcard to say that he planned on meeting the family on a western coast transfer station in a week.

Hiding in practical plain sight on a Marine compound, where he could find out anything from loose-lipped officer's mouths as he entertained them, was incredibly useful and beneficial. His leg healed, it only needed physical therapy to encourage it to full use, again. Daily stretches and body weight workouts kept him in moderate shape, and antibiotics from Ivankov's trusted doctor kept him healthy.

Months after the train fight, and he was ready to move, again.

He studied his reflection in the window – the makeup on his face made him uncomfortable, and he was sure he'd hear a ton of shit from the others over his disguise. But he actually used Nami's mannerisms as Candy, and found himself much too good at it. He wondered what Law would think of him. Would he find him just as attractive?

Just thinking about the other man made him smile. His heart slammed against this chest with warmth. He couldn't wait to see him. He couldn't wait to touch him, to hold him, to kiss him, to hear him speak – his hands shook with the need, and he pushed them into his dress to still them.

The coach driver's gruff encouragement towards the horses provided a strange lullaby for her. Leaning against the sidewall, Candy crossed her arms tightly, propping her boots up on the seat ahead of her, and went to sleep.

In disorienting action, some time later, she flew to the floor with a startled yell as the coach made some demanding movements.

"Sorry fella! We're on the run! These bastards are closing in quick on ya!" the driver shouted, and Candy quickly climbed up and looked out the window with a light curse, expecting to see robbers. But she saw men in black riding their way on strong horses, and one of them was leveling a gun in their direction.

Gunshots rang out, and the horses were whipped to run faster. The wheels took to the ride with a wild speed, the driver hollering out encouragement. He even returned fire from what sounded like a smaller pistol. Then a shotgun when one of the riders came in close.

Cursing her luck, Candy looked out the other side of the coach, examining the scenery. It was large hillsides with mountains in the distance, already tipped with light snow. There was sheep being herded to lower grounds, and the driver had to slow down because of it. This allowed one of the riders to jump from his moving horse to the wagon, and the driver cursed fiercely as the horses squealed. There was a single shot, and the wagon was forced to a stop that had Candy cursing again. But she hastily fixed her hair, adjusted her mink cape.

When the door was forced open, a man with a Fu Manchu and a long ponytail looked in with a snarl, then a surprised expression once he realized he was looking at her. He hastily stepped away, saying, "Sorry, ma'am! I didn't know you were the only one in here!"

A shorter man, chubby and scowling, peered in from the side, and gave a frustrated curse. "That's clearly not our John Brady!"

"John Brady is definitely not a woman," the first said solemnly, rubbing his chin. "We must've got them mixed up."

"Come out, ma'am, while we sort this out," the second side, waving at her. Candy did cautiously, and they took note of her height as she descended to the hard ground. Then looked closely at her, sure that they were mistaken. The short one unrolled a paper from his inside jacket pocket and held it up so he and the other could look at it then at him, both of them shaking their heads.

"Nope, not him," they said together.

From behind her, the driver was dumped to the ground by the man that disabled him, and while still alive, he was clearly in a lot of pain.

The two turned their attention to him, crowding around him to pick him up and haul him away from the wagon while the other man jumped down. He looked at Candy with a startled look, then frowned sheepishly.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, ma'am! You're _definitely_ not John Brady," he said. He reminded Candy of Ussop, but only because of the long nose. His gingery hair was cut short, combed to the side, and the black suit he wore had an attached hoodie to it. All of their black suits looked as if they belonged to a formal party, not an adventure in the wilderness. The taller one was wearing sunglasses, sleeves rolled up to display muscular arms, and the shorter one wore a flashy neon green tie, and he openly mocked the taller one as he handled the driver.

"Stand here, out of the way, and we'll get you to where you need to go," the third man said, indicating that she stand near the wagon. Their horses were left unattended nearby, obedient and heaving for breath, and she eyed them with consideration before looking back at the wagon. Seeing that they were occupied with the driver, who was spilling out everything he knew about John Brady, she began moving towards the closest horse, a spirited spotted horse with a long black fringe and a stub of a tail.

"I don't know what he's done, he just gave me a ton of money to take him out of town!" the driver cried, the shorter man's heel in his gut moments later. As he struggled to compose himself, he panted out, "Isn't that him in the back? I picked up a young fella who gave me a ticket – isn't that him?"

"There was only a woman in the back of your wagon, sir," the first man said crossly. "It wasn't Mr. Brady. You know who you're transporting? You know what this guy did? This man likes to take survivors from camps, _kids_ , and distribute them to other interested parties _not_ interested in their safety and wellbeing. We like to get rid of those folks, see? And for you to take interest in assisting him, well, it makes our back stiffen up a bit."

"Look at him! look at that fella! That's the one I…well, that's not – _hey_ , I didn't pick up a woman!" the driver exclaimed, pointing. By the time the three noticed his words, the horse was speeding off, much to their surprise.

"What the hell, Kaku? What'd you do?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Why's _she_ running?"

"That's MY horse!"

"Jyabura, go! I'll catch up!"

"I'll take care of this guy. I don't think this will be his last ride."

With that in mind, Jyabura handed the ginger his sunglasses, then removed his jacket, tossing it onto the man's head. Before the driver's eyes, he switched forms. The horses hooked to the wagon squealed with fright as they registered a dangerous predator in their vicinity, and took off, causing the wagon to tilt dangerously.

"Ah, damn it, Fukuro, catch those horses! I'll stay with him!"

: :

The horse was fast, and seemed to enjoy being pushed into a full run. It felt nice being atop of an animal again, feeling the speed against her face, the feeling of freedom all around her. The open air was gloriously clean and fresh, without the stench of a town with sewage collecting on the streets. The road was wide open and promising, leading up to the mountains with a slow incline, and from the look of the clouds, the storm would hit by tomorrow morning. She had enough time to put distance between herself and the agents, and she knew she could elude them easily once she switched out of her get up. She looked back, gripping with her legs – noting that the left felt frustratingly weak – and looked into the bags aligned with the saddle. They had a couple of days' worth of supplies, a gun, some ammo, a hunting knife – the other bag had clothes, a bedroll, some documents that looked interesting. They were Wanted posters of men she'd never seen before, and none of them were the Strawhats.

She closed up the bags and returned to leaning low with the horse, encouraging him to run faster. The horse agreed to this, putting on the speed, eager to enjoy itself in the freedom of the run. Looking behind her, they'd left the wagon far behind, and there was nobody following them.

Looking ahead, she felt excitement race through her veins, giving a joyous shout to the cold wind in that she'd be seeing the others very soon.

: :

The treeline came up quick, and she slowed the horse's run to a mild jog, digging into the bag for the gun. She loaded it carefully, the horse snorting and tossing his head, catching his breath. The trees that had lost most of their leaves during autumn rustled softly, branches rubbing each other, pines whipping through the air. There was the sound of water running nearby, so she guided the horse in that direction, noting that the land was rockier, the hillsides brown with faint green patches, and the leaves were gold in some areas, still, and the chill in the air made her shiver. She could see her breath as she breathed, touching her face, feeling the chill on her cheeks.

Looking up at the mountain tops, they were beautiful and majestic, lightly dusted with snow. Large bird of prey swirled through the cold air, screeching to each other. She remembered Law telling her that these birds mated for life. She smiled upward at the sight of them, feeling excited in that she was going to see the man very soon. For someone that had grown up pampered and spoiled rotten in rich settings, he sure knew a lot about wildlife. Maybe it had to do with him living on his own all these years in the desert, when Rosinante hid him away from Doflamingo.

The horse drank at the river's edge, snorting, pawing at the water that looked bone-chillingly cold. Candy looked around herself, figuring she could change in the area before they moved on, but the horse still snorted and looked up, tensing. His ears laid flat over his skull, nostrils flaring, and Candy felt the uneasy sensation of being watched.

She scanned the nearby treeline, holding the gun in her lap with one hand, the other holding tightly onto the reins. Branches rattled noisily against each other, the river bubbling gently before them, pushing through rocks and various debris through a meandering path down some trees. The birds screeched overhead, and, in the distance, a wolf howled – the horse was spooked, and it lifted its hooves and jumped forward, intending on moving away from danger. Candy let him take to the river, crossing it with a nervous glance around, scanning for anybody on a horse or on foot to be watching them. The silence was just unnerving. The wolf's howl turned into persistent barking, and it was moving up their way. She waited for its pack to answer it, and nervously licked her lips. Once the horse reached the river bank, they were moving up and over the grass, settling onto uneven terrain on the other side. Candy pushed him forward, moving him around rocks and dangerous dips in the patches of grass.

The wolf howled out again, and it was definitely closer. Probably starving, due to the settlers pushing in on their territory, taking away their natural hunting grounds. Candy pushed the horse into a run once they touched out onto an open meadow. Moving through the thick grass startled deer taking cover there, and the animals rose up in a majestic wave of brown. They started running around the horse to escape its panicked flight, then changed direction, and suddenly were running in pace _with_ them, all of them in a panic.

Having never seen this time of movement from animals before, Candy looked around herself with considerable awe, as deer took to fleeing flight around the horse. All of them looked wide eyed and terrified, nostrils flaring, and the large buck with the huge spread of antlers took to the front of the pack, clearly intending on leading the way to safety. The smaller ones were edging around the females, and she absolutely could not wait to go back and tell the others about this fantastic sight. Turning slightly in the saddle, she scanned the herd's size, then caught sight of movement from behind of it.

There was a large unnatural sized wolf running after them. The thing was clearly bigger than the horse itself. Candy's mouth fell open, absolutely astounded by the size of the thing. There was no way that thing was real.

She lifted the gun and fired once in that direction, the wolf eluding the round with a slight step to the left, then started picking up speed, panting heavily. The deer were alerted to its presence and scattered, and they were running on hard, flat surface.

She fired at the wolf again, and it once again side stepped.

She faltered because she never seen animals do that, either; instinctively dodge a firing shot of a gun. The horse picked up speed, head lowered, so she returned her attention to its path. They were on hilly grounds, moving away from the meadow, and the grass here was brown, with patches of dull green. There were rocks and boulders in their path, fallen from a nearby mountain side, and there were large trees coming up in the distance.

With a frown, she looked back at the wolf. It was a dull brown, with patches of grey atop of it, and there was something about those brilliant yellow eyes that suggested intelligence. That thing could not be a natural creature – she wanted to assume it was a god, one of those spirits that the hostiles in the area talked about. She was actually a little frightened about that concept, because it was easy to attribute something unknown to something out of a fairy tale. She lifted the gun and aimed once more, firing off a couple of shots that the wolf actively avoided. Reaching back for the ammo pouch, she reloaded, holding onto the horse with both legs.

"Find the best way!" she encouraged the animal, who seemed to understand that. He twisted suddenly and took a different path, forcing her to hang on tight as the shift in path caused the wolf to stumble, losing speed as it moved to catch itself. It gave an anxious bark, as if it were cursing itself, then poured on speed to chase.

The horse took them through the tree line, so Candy leaned in close to its head so her head wouldn't be taken out by passing branches. Negotiating the woody terrain, the animal shifted through obstacles like a natural, slowing the wolf down. It barked and snarled, yelped a couple of times, but the horse continued running until it burst out from the tree line, entering a long meadow with spring patches through it. The presence of water caused the ground to be soft, spongy, and it slowed it down considerably. The horse shifted direction and took to the edge of it, running hard. The wolf barked once it ran through cold water, slipped across mud and patches of brush.

Candy turned and fired at the wolf as it fought to right itself, and it pulled back with a spring of its legs, giving them some time to gain some distance. Once the wolf pushed itself back to its feet, it released a long howl before springing after them again.

The horse suddenly came to a stop, then switched direction back towards the springs, causing Candy to nearly fall off. As she righted herself, she realized she was seeing another massive shape move through the tree to their right. Moving through low hanging branches, walls of brush, was something with spots and a long tail. It was bigger than the wolf.

Wide eyed, Candy waited for it to reveal itself as the horse raced through the brush, panting tightly, its head glancing in that direction far more than it did the wolf behind it. Once the thing revealed itself to be a very large cat, looking nothing like the native cats in the area, Candy felt her expression change with rising panic and fear. She looked back at the wolf, who was moving in such a way as to flank their other side, then back at the cat, she realized that they were actually working together. They were driving the horse's instincts to flee, steering it towards the springy mud for their advantage.

She grabbed the reins, and forced the horse to the treeline, holding the gun in hand. The horse didn't want to go in that direction, but once she started shooting at the cat, it gained some confidence. The cat retreated a little, then took another path as the wolf followed them in.

The horse galloped through the area with hard pants, more concerned about the cat than it was about the wolf. Once they emerged into an open area, Candy realized it was a bad idea – the river opened up to them, wide and grand – making her think she was actually looking at the Skypiea river that cut down through the states, through the southwest – and to their side was a drop off into a rocky pathway that steeply declined down to some meadows, and just beyond that, some farms.

With relief, Candy pushed the horse towards the river. The horse went to it, and didn't hesitate to run through it, until both of them sank into the deep, and the horse struggled to keep its head up, and Candy had to hold on with both hands to avoid being swept away. The wolf paused at the edge of the river and the cat joined them. Together, they stood, glaring in their direction, breathing heavily.

Candy stared, certain people would never believe her if she told them this story. The current pushed the horse further away from the bank, and she held the gun in her mouth to hold onto the reins, calmly the panicking animal as they were swept downstream. Once the horse reached an area he could climb up to escape the water's pull, Candy looked back and saw that the two were gone.

The horse was calmer, knowing that they'd escaped certain peril. Encouraging him to continue on, headed for the farms, Candy looked back once more, scanning the area for any sign of the godlike creatures. She continued to feel unsettled with the entire thing, hoping the farmers below would believe her.


	3. Part Three

**A/N:…For some reason, I see Leia yelling back to Luke, "It's a trap!"**

 **TF: No devil fruits, but these guys have 'normal' abilities, attributed to their canon powers. Jyabura's and Lucci's powers have yet to be explained. :D Thanks for reading and commenting!**

 **Naghitan : Thanks! I couldn't really find anything where they spoke, so…it's definitely a challenge for me.**

 **Part Three**

The farmers were curious as she rode into view, soaking wet and disheveled. "Good afternoon!" she called out, one of them wincing at the sound of her voice. "I'm lost! How do I return to the main road from here?"

"Long ways away from the main road, ma'am, all by yourself," another said curiously, taking in the sight of the large horse. "That's a nice horse an' all."

"Just tell me how to get to the damn road," Candy said with her man voice, and all of them reacted with startled faces, pointing in the direction he could go. With his womanly voice, he called out, "Thank you so kindly! Have a nice day!"

The horse hurried off, a little slower than before, but his head tossed and he was still anxious over the chase from early. Nearly half an hour later, the road came to them, and they were moving west once more. The sight of those animals left Candy pretty nervous herself, glancing around them with apprehension. She sort of wished she were traveling with others. She almost pulled off the wig atop of her head, but thought better of it – those government agents might catch up to her, and if she had the chance to escape, she didn't want to reveal her true self that quickly. She was still within Aeneus' range of territory, so anyone passing her on the road could be a Marine.

Night fell quickly, and she made camp off the side of the road, reluctant to do so, but not willing to put the horse at any risk at breaking one of its legs stumbling through the dark. She made a fire, and rummaged through the packs for something to eat as the horse rustled in the nearby brush for something to munch on. The night sky was brilliant with a shiny blanket of stars, the moon a bright silver dollar climbing the sky. The Milky Way burst overhead in a pink array of color, shining vividly against the black. She counted several different falling stars as she rested her head back against her pack, the horse snorting and roaming as far as his reins could go, tied to a nearby stump.

Sometime during the night, the campfire had died down low, providing just a glimpse into the inky black darkness around her. Her senses were ringing with ultra awareness, and she moved quickly. She looked for the horse, seeing the reins tied to the stump nearby but finding the horse missing entirely. It was too dark to see if the animal had been stolen or slaughtered.

She grabbed the pack under her head and equipped herself with the gun, moving away from the campsite with fright. The moon provided enough light for her to see a few feet in front of her, but the treetop canopy overhead obscured a lot of it. It was so much easier moving at night in the southwestern desert – trees were just another enemy instead of another obstacle. Her skirts caught on everything – brush, branches and the like, and she cursed to herself as she heard material ripping. But she pressed on, following alongside the road until she felt it was safe enough to run onto it. The moon gave ample light in this sense, and she realized it was much too quiet. There was no sound of insects, no barking of wolves, no rustle of animals – it only made her footfalls that much louder.

A couple of miles down the road, she paused to catch her breath. Her leg was throbbing uncomfortably, worked too hard too soon. Looking behind her, she scanned the empty road, listening for anything in the dark that might be following. The rustle up above alerted him to movement, and she froze for a moment, terrified by how close it was. But it was only an owl taking flight, flapping its massive wings overhead, churring.

Exhaling with relief, she continued on, albeit a little slower. The moment she did though, a large form emerged onto the road ahead of her with a low growl. She froze once more, lifting her gun as she recognized the wolf. Its ears were laid back, teeth bared. Its yellow eyes were gleaming in the darkness, and it walked forward with menacing action. She fired once at it, then took off to the right, moving back into the trees as it darted after her with a low barking. Crashing through the trees, she shoved her way through the uneven terrain and underbrush with desperation, looking to use the river as a means of escape. She heard the sound of its rushing speed in the distance, trees rustling alongside the wide path with the night wind.

In the distance was another strange bark, a 'sawing' sound that seemed to vibrate through the trees before emerging as a harsh snarl that caused the wolf to bark back before suddenly slowing to a stop. The thought that these things were communicating with each other, talking to each other as they chased her was absolutely terrifying. The wolf suddenly veered off towards the left with a hard sprint, and there were crashing noises in the trees that told her the cat was moving in from the right. Realizing that they intended on cutting her off from river access caused her to break hard, turn around, and run back to the road.

Only instead of doing so, she climbed a tree, panting heavily as the wolf started making its way back. High enough so that she could see them it crashing through the underbrush, Candy stilled, freezing as the massive creature panted heavily, running past her. not even moments later, from a distance, the cat followed. The moon's light gave her enough to see them join up again, running towards the road. She shifted away, jumped down to the ground, cursing at the hard jolt up on her leg. Then ran like mad back to the river.

Moments later, she heard them crashing back through the woods, breathing hard as their weigh crushed dried underbrush, their massive bodies slamming through small trees. The river came up quick, and she didn't hesitate to throw herself into it, running as far in as she could go before feeling the drop off, the current taking her down from them in an instant. She managed to right herself, struggling with the weight of her clothes, turning to see the animals once again looking at her with frustration from the bank.

She managed to hold up a middle finger, yelling, "Eat shit, fuckers!"

The wolf barked fiercely, moving to run in after her despite the water, but thought better of it with a yelp, quickly moving back up onto the bank. The cat pushed away, and began running alongside the river, intending on following her this way. Treading the water, Candy decided her idea sucked, as the animals moved together, not letting her out of their sight. The water was freezing. The current pulled at her weightlessly, and her dress was much too heavy. It was all she could do to keep her head up, and go along with it, looking up to see where the moon was above her.

Once she saw the opportunity, she reached out and caught onto some low hanging branches, and pulled herself out of the water. The animals took notice, watching her struggle to pull herself up onto the bank. It took a lot of effort to do so – she was freezing, the night temperatures dropping well into single digits. Their tails twitched as she started moving again, sluggishly moving over uneven rocky outcrops and pushing through brush.

Breathing heavily, she continued on ahead, certain she'd either reach a road or a settlement.

: :

When the morning sun rose over the mountains in the distance, she was still moving. She was relying on a heavy stick to help support her weight, but was certain she'd put enough miles between them to be safe. Her clothes were frozen, dirty, shredded at the hem, and her leg was giving her intense trouble. She had no idea where she was, having lost track of direction. She hoped against hope that she was still moving west, looking to her right to judge the mountains there.

She saw the road just ahead, through the trees, and made a hard push to reach it. Now that it was daylight, there was sure to be people on the road, and they'd definitely take pity on a woman that looked as she did. Sure enough, she heard the sound of riders coming along, and moved for the sound with an expression of relief. She caught glimpses of a single rider, with a wagon trailing after him, and gave a shout. The rider stopped, trying to pinpoint the location of her voice, and she burst out into the clearing with a relieved laugh.

The rider gave her a startled look, and she froze, realizing she was looking at one of the men from the day previously. 'Kaku', the man with the Fu Manchu had said. He recognized her, gave her a startled look, then held up a finger in warning.

"Hold on there, young lady, you're the one that took off with my companion's horse!" he said, pushing his horse forward. Those on the wagon were his friends, and they were driving the coach with irritated faces, sharing the driver's seat with blankets wrapped around him.

"Fucking hell!" she cursed in her natural voice, startling all of them.

"Are you….are you a _man?"_ Kaku asked curiously, eyes wide as he peered at her closely, his horse venturing around her as he took her in. "I thought you were too tall for one."

"He's not John Brady, that's for sure!" Fukuro reminded them.

"John Brady is definitely not a woman," Kumadori echoed thoughtfully. Then he asked sharply, "Did you wreck our horse?"

"I'm being chased!" Candy said, waving off their questions, reaching out for Kaku's horse. "By these things, these beasts! They're bigger than a horse! A wolf and a cat, some type of cat! Please, I need help!"

Kaku looked pretty surprised at that point, then extremely uncomfortable, frowning down at her with anxious action. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"They're huge! Look, get me out of here, okay? I don't care if you guys have to take me back, or whatever, but I do not want to last another night out here with those things!"

"A big kitty? And a huge puppy? About this high? Looks like roadkill?" Fukuro asked, holding a hand up to indicate the wolf's height. "Smells like ass? And I'm just talking about the dog!"

"Huge…'puppy'?" Candy repeated with confusion, as Kaku pulled out a gun and pointed it at her.

"Look, sorry to hear that, but you ran off so suddenly, and while you aren't the one we're looking for, the fact that you felt you had to run makes us suspicious," he said. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to get into the wagon."

"Fine, fine, whatever," Candy said, turning away from him, uneasy with their destination. She figured with how goofy the three seemed, she had no problems taking over control of the wagon if she needed to. But at that moment, there was the sawing sound again, the vibration of a huge animal calling out echoing out in the woods, and all three men looked up with startled faces.

A wolf howled some distance behind them, and Candy's eyes widened. Kaku was looking out into the trees as the sawing sound turned into impatient barks, so he didn't see Candy look back at him, then snatch his outstretched hand. She yanked him off his horse, and he moved to steady himself, to fight back, but she had one leg in the stirrup, and was pushing the horse into a run with a swat of its flanks before she even fully settled into the saddle.

"Shit! Stop! _Stop_! Goddamn it!" he cursed, moving to fire at his own horse to stop the fleeing 'woman', but the guys in the wagon snapped the reins, cheering for the chase. He quickly grabbed hold of the coach's door handles with an impatient sigh, Fukuro looking back at him with a laugh.

"You suck! You let that happen!"

"Shut up! I was caught off guard, okay? I couldn't remember what Rob was saying by what he meant when he makes those sounds!" Kaku grumbled, climbing atop of the wagon, shielding his eyes from the morning sun as he saw that the 'woman' was far enough ahead of them to lose them if they didn't catch up, soon. "Damn it! _Damn_ it!"

"You're never going to hear the end of this! I'm going to tell _everyone_ about it!" Fukuro laughed, shooting his gun into the air, twice. Hand to his mouth, he hollered to the wind, "Woman on the run! Kaku let her use his horse!"

" _I did not_!"

"Was she that fetching up close, Kaku?" Kumadori asked him with a leer, pink braid bouncing against his back, both him and Fukuro laughing at Kaku's embarrassed expression.

"Shut up, you two! Push forward! Before - !" he looked back at the sound of heavy panting, and saw the wolf running towards them, tongue hanging out. Seeing just how tired the animal was, Kaku crawled over to the edge of the wagon roof, and supported himself there, legs spread, foot holding onto the railing for added security. The wolf caught up to the wagon, and with a single leap, jumped towards his outstretched hand. His shape shifted in mid-air, revealing a naked form covered in dirt and light scratches from running around the woods last night. Kaku pulled him up, and Jyabura caught his breath, sitting on the rooftop with his legs spread out in front of him.

Fukuro turned to give him an update, saw Jyabura's sprawled form, and uttered a disgusted curse. Kumadori turned to look, then gave a curse of his own.

"Stop looking at my balls! I can't help it if I'm naked!" Jyabura shouted at them, catching his breath. He leaned back on his palms, showing off his muscular form to the early morning sun, like a careless pagen god of sorts. "Fuck, I'm _tired_. I've been running all night for this fucking broad! Rob says to keep her in sight, have her push ahead – he thinks she's going to lead us somewhere good."

"Is that what you two were doing?" Kaku asked, covering his eyes as he looked back at him. "What's so special about her? Besides the fact that she's a 'he'?"

"I don't know! We could've got this over with last night – he let her take a nap so we could eat the horse! Fucking starving! Being in that form for a long time leaves us weak as hell! But it was too cold to go running around butt ass naked all night! Hey, by the way, give me a blanket! I'm naked!"

"You don't want to show your small dick off to passing farmer ladies, Jyabura?"

"Fuck you, Fukuro! It's chilly out! And why are you even noticing that?"

"Fukuro's looking at his dick? Give him some privacy, man!"

Fukuro held his index finger and thumb close together, saying, "It's so _sad_ \- !"

"SHUT UP!"

"You guys, quiet down!" Kaku complained, their shouts ringing all over the area. He saw that the 'woman' was moving further ahead of them. "Lead us where, by the way?"

Jyabura wrapped a blanket around himself, huffing as he sat up uncomfortable. "I don't know! He suspects she's up to something! What happened to the driver?"

"Left him for Blueno."

"That poor guy has to clean up the worst messes!"

All of them quieted at the sound of an animal scream in the distance, Kaku furrowing his brow. Then he said, "Back off, guys. Let her go."

"What? _Why_?" Kumadori asked, complaining as he pulled back on the reins.

"I think he's got her. Jyabura. Go to them. You know how he gets."

"Fuck! I just sat down!" Jyabura yelled, throwing off the blanket. But he leapt over the others, changing forms. The horses panicked as the large animal emerged in front of them, scrambling to get away, and causing the three of them to yell in fright as Kumadori tried to control them.

: :

There was a town visible ahead of her, and she looked at it with relief. Pushing the horse into a hard run towards it, Candy looked back over her shoulder, seeing that nobody was following them. The wagon was out of sight. Scanning the woods to the sides, she didn't see or hear anything suspect of the massive animals. So she leaned forward, ushering the horse forward towards the settlement, certain she'd find relief there. The countryside was wide, open, with fields tilled and burned, and the stench of farm animals was evident in the chilly morning weather. Frost glistened on wooden fence lines, and a couple of men looked up from their horses to see her flying by. Dogs barked in the distance, up the entrance ways of farm roads, and some cows brayed noisily.

Straightening up, reaching back to seeing how her wig fared, Candy looked behind her once more, scanning the area for any sign of the big animals. They were coming up to a bridge that scaled the river, surrounded by large fields, and the town was just a mile or so away from it. She looked towards it with an expression of relief, the horse breathing heavily. In the distance, she could see a moving shape winding down a pathway from the east – a train. Steam and smoke rose in the air from its smoke stacks, and a horn called out, faint and distinct.

The town wasn't big enough to be a train stop, but knowing where the railroad was helped. She intended on making her way in that direction when the horse gave a sudden snort, then a squeal, lifting up on its back legs. It was still moving forward, skidding on its back hooves when it twisted suddenly, and both of them hit the ground in a painful of collusion. The horse rolled over her, climbed to its feet, and took off back the way it had come.

Candy laid there for some moments, knocked senseless and winded from the impact. She wasn't sure what hurt the worst, hand reaching for her leg, feeling the intense throbbing there. The weight of the horse had cracked it, she was sure of it. Painfully, she lifted up onto one elbow, breathing tightly.

She looked up at a slight scratch of sound and saw the cat lunging at her from the field nearby. Before it could land, the wolf tackled it in mid-air, and both of them were snapping, growling at each other, teeth embedded into body with hard nips, fur flying everywhere. Their massive bodies matched their fierce snarls, and they rolled and tumbled hard on the ground, both of them looking for the upper hand. Unable to do anything, Candy just watched with a fearful expression as the cat twisted hard, tossing the wolf aside, and made its way back to her, teeth bared.

The heavy hissing, the ugly gurgle of sound coming from deep inside of its thick throat made her blood freeze. The thing was longer in size compared to the wolf, slightly bigger at the shoulders, its paws definitely massive, claws ticking along with each step. Its fur was nothing he'd ever seen stateside, before. The yellow color was a dull gold, spotted with black, and it looked much too well fed to be something living in the wild, where mountain lions were significantly smaller and thinner. The wolf climbed to its feet and barked fiercely at it, like an overgrown dog. The cat paused in mid-stalk, tail flicking before looking back at it with indifference. Then sat back on its haunches, looking back at Candy with a glare of its green eyes.

The wolf laid out, tail jerking about in nervous thumps, heaving heavy breaths with an occasional bark that rang out over the quiet of the area. The cat's tail twitched in response, and its feline face turned off to the side, as if deliberately ignoring the wolf's noises. It then began to groom itself, licking its dirty paws and wiping its face, and this enraged the wolf as it stood up, growling and snapping, circling around both it and Candy, and she could only sit up stiffly, holding onto her leg as she watched them warily. Hearing the incoming sound of the wagon, the voices of the men she left behind, she grimaced.

The wolf barked again, short, impatient barks, and the cat bared its teeth and hissed at him, growling, and both of them were on their feet, looking to meet each other head on again. Candy saw the wagon coming. She looked behind her, towards the bridge. The wolf leaned in and nipped at the cat, and the cat lunged at him, and both of them were fighting again. She quickly climbed to her feet and ran for the bridge, dragging her leg painfully, desperate to reach the water. She heard warning shouts, cries of fear and surprise as townspeople walking along the road saw the large animals, and this drew the fighters' attention.

With one desperate lunge, Candy threw herself into the river – it was shallow, and the drop was too big, so when she hit, both legs absorbed the force of impact into the underwater surface, and she flopped over from the pain. Once the animals saw that she was in shallow water, they were quick to descend the bank, moving towards her. She heard the blast of the train in the distance, feeling her heart drop. She didn't know if the others were on it, if that was the Strawhats' train, but it made her feel frustrated and sad to know that the others would arrive on time, expecting to see her.

They would just have to wait a little longer.

: :

"It's a beautiful day!" Ussop cried, voice echoing around them. He wore a jacket with coyote fur at the collar, his thick, curly hair braided over one shoulder. His jeans were worn, tucked into bright yellow boots with turquoise trim. He wore one of his bandannas around his forehead, Nami's pins –with jeweled flowers and paste curlicues – keeping it centered. "The sun is up, it's shining, we're making good time – hey, look at us! Aren't we all a sight? There hasn't been a happier group than us on this road, let's keep it that way!"

"Shut up, Ussop! We're freezing!" Nami shouted at him from the wagon, huddled underneath a wool blanket and an animal skin hood, both her and Tony shivering against the cold chill in the air.

"If only we could make a fire, in here!" Tony cried, pulling his scarf tight around his neck, Nami hugging him tightly as the wagon moved carefully over the hard dirt road. Their horses snorted and pranced, seemingly in as good as a mood as Ussop. Sabo and Luffy sat in the driver's seat, but Luffy wasn't sharing the mood, either. Sabo was the only one out of them that looked misplaced – wearing dull maroon trousers with black boots, a black wool pea coat, a black hat and black gloves, a spiffy presentation of wealth.

"I can't stand this! Once we find Sanji, we're going back to Law's place!" Luffy shouted, huddling underneath his blanket and wool jacket. His raccoon skin cap looked fitting for his misfit outfit. "It never gets cold over there!"

"At this time, nights are just as dangerous," Law said from his horse, rubbing his hands before placing them underneath his armpits, shivering. He was wearing his black duster, jeans, boots and a vest made from something with a lightly spotted brown fur pelt, and a black Stetson fitted with a hatband of the same type of fur. His bandanna was up around his chin, providing some captured warmth to his neck, and he used it to hide the lower half of his face when riders came in too close to them. "Not as cold, but cold enough."

"Pussies. _All_ of you," Zoro commented from the back end of the wagon, were he was laying with one leg over the other, arms folded behind his head. He was comfortable in a brown jacket with red stripes, black t-shirt and black trousers, green sash tied at his waist. His black bandanna and black hat was currently covering his eyes from the sun, as he attempted to nap a little more just to pass the time. He had a scarf of rabbit fur hanging from around his neck, and he didn't seem that cold at all. "If you'd concentrate on something else, you wouldn't be as cold."

"None of us are as fat as you are, and can ignore it like you can," Law muttered, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, horse snorting.

"…Did you just call me fat?"

"Knock it off, you two!" Nami snapped at them, heaving a sound of impatience as the two men glared dangerously at each other. "Law! Back to your row! Zoro! What did I say about calling us names?"

"I'm just commenting on the fact! All of you complain like little bitches. It's cold, yes, there is that, but it's not snow, yet. Not _yet_. When it's here, then you complain, make it worth while."

"How long have you been stateside, Zoro?" Sabo asked curiously, noticing that when Zoro was agitated, his accent was more pronounced, and the man's accent was quite obvious lately. He knew there was something simmering between the two men, and Luffy had tried to explain that it was because of Sanji, but Sabo couldn't imagine what it was. None of them could explain it, and asking either men about it was inviting a deathwish.

"Long enough so that he _should_ be speaking the language properly," Law said, pushing his horse forward as Zoro lunged out from the back and tried to stab him as he went past.

"I SWEAR TO GOD! If you both don't _try_ and get along, both of you will fucking _walk_!" Nami howled.

Luffy laughed, then sniffled hard, wiping his nose. "I bet it keeps them warm, that's why they always fight. It's a good idea in theory, but I just can't move from my spot."

"You're wearing shorts, it's your own damn fault," Sabo pointed out, gesturing at his half trousers, his boots crossed at the ankles.

"I can't wear pants! I feel smothered when I do! And my leg hairs get caught in it, and it _hurts_ me!"

"It's such a beautiful day!" Ussop cried again, gesturing at the sky. "Guys, we're almost there! In a few hours time, we'll be seeing Sanji again. Just think about that!"

"I'm happy! That bastard better be there when we get there!" Tony hollered from the wagon, Nami shushing him for cursing. "Everyone else says 'bastard', how come I can't?"

"If he's not there when we get there, I'm killing him," Zoro vowed, closing his eyes as he resumed his position. "Because I am not waiting on him any longer."

Nami snorted. " _Please_. Mr I Will Slaughter Everyone In My Way For My Best Friend's honor."

" _Shut_ up!"

Sabo considered the countryside around him. It was peaceful, quaint, and the mountains in the distance were amazing. The tips were dusted with snow, with the promise of a large storm coming later, and Nami assured them they'd reach a suitable town soon, so they could take cover.

"This area's known for big storms, but this one should just be a temporary thing," she said to them last night. "The locals know their storms."

There hadn't been very many people on the road; in fact, the last person they'd passed was a large man with a particular hairstyle that reminded Luffy of the devil. He was riding back towards the large Marine base in a buckboard wagon that had an oddly shaped form in the back of it. He'd given them a wave and a nod, and Sabo had waved at him. At the time, Luffy was laying in the back, crammed up against Zoro, Tony and Nami, all of them sleeping together just to provide warmth. When he'd heard the commotion of the buckboard wagon, Luffy had popped his head up just in time to see the man and his hairstyle.

"I can't wait to see Sanji," he said to Sabo with a happy grin on his face. "I'm sure he'll be so excited to see us!"

"I can't wait for him, too!" Nami said with a weary sigh. "I can't believe what sort of difference he makes with keeping you all groomed and proper! And I'm constantly hungry – I'm going to make him cook for us, first of all."

Luffy laughed merrily. "He's going to cook for us, then he'll give us proper haircuts!"

"He's going to be mad about the lice incident," Tony said, scratching his head, causing Nami to look at him with alarm. He protested as she bent his head over, looking through thick, curly strands for evidence of nits.

"There's only so much I can do, here!" Nami roared. "You guys all felt you didn't have to wash yourselves, or take regular baths! All of you smell like unwashed ass! It's so embarrassing going into town, and all of you stink to high heaven! You think just because he's gone you should stop taking care of yourselves? Lazy! Idiots! Children!"

"Nami! That's mean!" Luffy admonished, looking back at her as Sabo made a face, looking at him with concern. Then subtly leaning over to smell him. "We don't _always_ smell like ass! And why should we have to wash up, all the time? It's freezing balls! We can't take baths in the river like we used to!"

"We will shrivel up and die," Law said grimly.

" _Literally_!" Zoro said, holding his groin with a concerned expression. "I'm not freezing mine off so you can be comfortable with our smells. Besides, it's too cold out. No one smells us as well as summer."

"We'll lock up our stench in our coats!" Luffy vowed, tightening his jacket around himself. "That means we can't remove our clothes from this point on. Or we will _die_."

"That's not true," Sabo said impatiently. "You can warm up the water. Wash at the river's edge. Or find permanent residence somewhere, and stay there for the winter."

"We're not staying in this area! We're going west!" Luffy shouted, causing the horses to grow skittish, jerking back.

Up ahead of them was an incoming wagon with a rider on horseback, so Sabo guided the horses to take to the far right side, Ussop and Law moving their horses just ahead, out of the other wagon's pathway.

"I'm just saying, when Sanji comes back, he's going to put a stop to this madness," Nami said, satisfied with finding nothing in Tony's hair. She wrapped him up tight, setting him aside. Then crawled over some of their supplies to Zoro, disrupting his sleep as she removed his hat and bandanna to look into his hair.

"Stop! Don't touch me, woman!"

"Quit crying, you big baby! This is for your own good!"

"Don't mistake me for Kidd!"

Nami hit him a few times, causing him to scramble out of her reach, falling out from the back of the wagon. Tony stood up and leaned over some suitcases to laugh, hugging his blanket tight around him as Nami made short work of one of their most dangerous members. Luffy looked back at the commotion and laughed, Ussop pulling his horse to a stop, just to make sure he didn't have to interfere. He wouldn't, because Nami's fists hurt, but just in case.

"Shut up about Kidd! Zoro! Why even say that to me? Come back here, and I'll kick your ass!" she howled, voice ringing off the mountains, blasting over the fields, causing birds to fly suddenly.

"I'm separating myself from the situation, so I won't felt tempted to kill you!" he shouted back at her, voice just as loud as hers.

"Shut up, both of you!" Law snapped at them, pulling up his bandanna to cover up the lower half of his face as he looked at the approaching wagon and the single horseman warily. Because Aeneus was so close, he was sure they'd run into Marines eventually, and he looked back to see if Luffy was following Rule Number One: staying out of sight. Luffy rocked himself backward with a pained groan, landing into the back as Tony quickly sidled up to him, sharing his blanket. Zoro pulled his hat down low, wrapped his scarf up around his hair line, walking closer to the wagon on the other side, closer to the tree line.

They were all quiet until they came closer to the other wagon, and the men sitting on the driver's seat looked at them with pleasant smiles and waves, Sabo waving back cheerfully while Nami covered part of her face and waved just as jovially from her position in the back.

"Beautiful day!" the short one called out cheerily.

"It's a great day!" Ussop agreed enthusiastically from the front. Facing forward, he exclaimed, "Everyone is so nice out here!"

Zoro looked back with a frown to see the guy on the horse frowning after them. They made eye contact for a moment, then he turned away, feeling curious as to why his senses were ringing on full volume. He looked back, hand where his swords should have been, and realized he'd left them where he'd been sitting earlier, so his fingers hit only air.

The guy was still watching them, and then he leaned over the side of the coach and said something into the window that caused both drivers to turn in their seats and look after them with surprise.

"We got trouble," Zoro said to Ussop, who looked horrified, quickly spreading the word to Sabo, who frowned grimly. Law heard it, and looked back, seeing that the men on the wagon were, indeed, watching them very closely. He reached back for his rifle just in case, the weapon almost trembling in his gloved palm. Something about the wagon and its riders made him feel anxious, and his long rifle wanted to let him know it felt the same way.

Nami felt the tensions rising in all the men around her, and hastily made her way to Tony with a small gulp, Luffy peering over the suitcases one he realized everyone was on high alert.

The wagons continued to pull further away from each other, and then suddenly a woman with a bad hairdo had the door open, shouting at them, "They know who you are! They're government agents! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Then she was forcefully pulled back inside, and Zoro paused in mid step, because that wasn't a woman's voice. Nami tossed him his swords, Sabo pulled the horses to a stop, and then Ussop was giving a sharp intake of breath. Luffy was crawling out of the wagon with a wide eyed expression, and Law was already moving, turning his horse around to start chasing them.

The wagon pulled ahead, the rider moving with it cautiously, and the door to the coach flew open once more, the woman howling, "They're _animals_! They can change into _animals_!"

"Darn you, _hush_!" the man on the horse shouted, withdrawing his guns and firing back at Law, and Sabo turned the wagon around, much to Nami's and Tony's yells of consternation. "There's five capable males, ready to engage! Two in the wagon, non combatants! It's them, Lucci! It's the _Strawhats_!"

Ussop grabbed his gun, lined up a shot, and took out one of the back axles to the wagon. It listed to one side, and Law took out the other. The wagon dragged on its back support beams, significantly slowed, horses squealing with panic as gunshots flew through the air.

"What luck is this?" the short one cried to the air, withdrawing an automatic rifle from a nearby compartment by the driver's seat. It was similar to Rosinante's, just slimmer, fitting to his shape. "We get to fight them first!"

"No fair!" his companion cried. "This was supposed to be a spectacular wagon ride, and you've already disabled us! The glory of the chase is ruined, yes?"

"That ugly woman is _Sanji_! Law!" Zoro bellowed, in case the man didn't know, but he had a feeling that he did, which was why he was rushing the thing.

Luffy was out of the wagon in moments, racing towards Ussop, who slowed his horse to pick him up. Sabo had their wagon turned, and Zoro climbed in as the others raced ahead.

"This is not what I envisioned when we were supposed to see him," Nami said with a frown, holding Tony tight in her arms.

"I thought this type of thing was normal for you people!" Sabo said to her, wearing an expression of consternation as the wagon chase began.


	4. Part Four

**A/N: I am freezing. Idk if it's from writing this or that this place is too fixing cold.**

 **NaghiTan: ;_; not out of the woods, yet! (Literally)**

Siberianrs: Zoro's affection is really obvious- haha but just how much? XD as for Sabo, his thoughts of the matter will be revealed soon. Next chapter. And they did eat the horse, but their reign of terror will not stop there. It's too soon - they're just getting started. Kidd needs his own talk show lol Can you imagine? Yikes

 **Part Four **

The sounds of the assault rifle bursting overhead, with Fukuro's delighted laughter were combined with gunshots coming from behind them had Jyabura ducking low, arms over his head. He shouted aloud with fear, as bullets pinged off the wood, and one blast in particular left a face sized hole in the back of the wagon, emerging out to the front, between Kumadori's legs. Kaku had given Jyabura his bag with extra clothes, and then the others had contributed their own to Lucci, the man sitting casually in mismatched clothing, barefoot.

"I hate this!" Jyabura shouted. He glared up at the man sitting across from him, looking calm and collected as he lightly patted the head of the unconscious man laying across the seat. At the moment, Lucci was handcuffing their wrists together, because both he and Jyabura was in dire needs for a nap. "How are you not affected by this? We're going to _die_ in here!"

"They won't shoot here again, knowing he's in here," Lucci assured him, palm on chin as he gazed out the window. The treeline fluttered by, allowing him glimpses of the wintery conditions outside. Thick snow clouds were moving in slowly, and they had touched down on the mountain tops, already consuming the peaks. The chill in the air seemed to grow colder, and the wind that blasted them with their fast paced travel was already affecting the air they breathed. It was a day's worth of travel back to Aeneus. "Look at this place. In spring, I'm sure it's beautiful. It's a perfect setting for those settling down up in this area."

He then yawned noisily, Jyabura catching sight of this, and yawning as well.

"Of course, this area was probably much prettier before the settlers came in."

"Look, what are we going to do? They're going to catch up to us! And when they do, I don't know if I can change, again. We were in the other form all fucking night! I hope you're happy with what you've done!"

"I am. And I wouldn't worry about it – Kaku and the others are more than enough to stop them," _yawn_ , "and I feel you should place more confidence in them."

"Don't," _yawn_ , "tell me that I don't have enough confidence in my own," _yawn_ , "teammates! I mean, I do, and I don't!"

"I heard that!" Kumadori yelled, snapping the reins. "Look at this, Jyabura! Feast your eyes on this scene! I am managing to push us into a continuous run, when we've lost both back wheels! Can you say that you could do the same?"

"Reload me!" Fukuro shouted, reloading himself. Then firing again. "This is amazing! I've taken out two of their horses, and they're _still_ coming after us! Their swordsman is probably better than Kaku is! I can't hit them individually!"

"Wow, thanks for that confidence! They're not close enough to hit us," Kaku reported, appearing at the window, sheathing his own sword. "It looks like they're slowed down, just enough to let us catch our breath. Goddamn, they're persistent, y'know?"

"I can't believe we were chasing one of them all night!" Jyabura exclaimed, slamming back into his seat, sprawled out with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He fought another huge yawn, to which Lucci yawned, and both of them growled at each other for it. "How did you know she – he – _it_ was a Strawhat?"

"He gave himself away, dog," Lucci said, finding all the pins that kept the dirty wig in place, and tossed it out the window, nearly hitting Kaku as he twisted in the saddle to shoot off a few rounds.

"Reloading!" Fukuro yelled unnecessarily. "I've broken the legs of the last horse! They're definitely unable to follow us by animal! It's a shame I couldn't kill one of those guys personally!"

"I'm sure we'll get another chance, soon! They looked very determined to catch up. It looks like they're taking to the meadow to cut us off, Lucci!" Kumadori reported.

"Let them. We're on animal, they're just insignificant humans. Their effort will be in vain," Lucci said with no worry on his features. He reached over for the smaller suitcase on the floor, lifting it to his lap. It was Sanji's, and his male clothes were inside, causing him to look through the various items with a judgmental expression before exploring the inside lining for hidden compartments. When he found nothing more of interest, he closed it up and pushed it underneath their seat, using it as an ottoman.

"To answer your question, Jyabura, he used a story where his persona was working in a brothel down south, where the Donquixote family had a weapons factory there. Yes, it's true, there _was_ a brothel there – but he also mentioned a Christy family as well. While what he said was true about the eldest Christy son being disowned from the family farm down there, what he didn't say was that this son traveled his way East to Dressrosa, where he worked in the brothel on Donquixote grounds. He was a worker there for one year, before a customer stole off with him and they made their way west. Unfortunately, once a worker, always a worker. His jealous lover killed him, then himself, on a wagon trip west. When his body was returned to his natural family, they wanted nothing to do with it. They left it to rot at the end of their driveway, where their neighbors complained until the local constable had to do something with it. The only reason why that particular fact sticks out is that Sanji Blackleg started off in the brothel in Dressrosa, at the same time as the eldest Christy. They knew each other. And when Sicily spoke about their newest girl, Blackleg had told her that same story, but also mentioned being mentored by a woman named Shishimori, an older sister of sorts. Who was _also_ the eldest girl at the Dressrosa brothel. Shishimori never left Dressrosa. The only reason why I know all this is because, before his death, the elder Doflamingo brother was required to keep paperwork on all his workers, to keep from engaging into human trafficking with them. As long as we knew where everyone was, and they had the necessary paperwork, he was allowed to run his business alongside our suggested guidelines."

Jyabura frowned at him, not at all impressed. He was aware of Lucci's tastes, and while it didn't bother him that the man found his entertainment in shady places, the story was just too well researched for him to remember. "So, you knew this, and…?"

After releasing another loud yawn, Lucci then said, "Not only did that stick out in my head, but, really, after last night's transgressions, did you honestly think a she-male could elude us as easily as he did? Or have the energy to continue on as he had? It was mentioned that the Strawhats are made of stronger stuff, being that most of them are considered… _godly_ …but, once these things made sense, that's when I changed my plans in slaughtering him."

"We had the chance to take him down when he took a nap!"

"And ruin this moment? He was setting off to meet the other Strawhats, and what a perfect opportunity to find them by him leading us to them. And look at us – in gun battle with the criminals, and with him still in our custody. With the way he praised his 'family', I have no doubt that they'll chase us to the ends of the earth to get him back. We can use this to our advantage."

Jyabura shook a finger at him, eyes shutting heavily. "You're _good_. Yes. I give this to you, now."

"Now that we have them in the open, we can do one of two things: take them to Aeneus for proper justice served, or dish out our own brand of justice, and return with their heads. What sounds easiest?"

"Let me nap on it," Jyabura said, yawning again. "Because if I read the file right, they're escape artists. So killing them now might be best. But then again, think of the response we'd get if we hung them all in a public setting? It'll squash any uprising that people might have towards the government."

"This is why we get along, dog. You and I think alike."

"Not entirely. Don't flatter yourself, cat."

Lucci felt his eyes closing heavily, frowning as his partner fell asleep with a loud snore, Fukuro laughing once more.

"Lost them!" he announced grandly, peering into the window at him, green hair fluttering with the wind.

"I'm going to take a short nap," Lucci decided, looking down at the man laying over him. He wondered why Sanji Blackleg didn't look like his Wanted poster. The real thing was nondescript and plain up close – he couldn't get the attraction at all. But when dressed up as a woman, it was all he could do to keep his eyes off him. After his warning shouts to the others, Lucci had made short work of his consciousness by testing the inside wood paneling with Sanji's head, so he suspected, along with the constant all-night travel, that Sanji would be out for awhile.

Enough for him to take a nap, to replenish his own energy. He ran his fingers through matted blond hair, wearing an expression of disgust as he tilted his head back and went to sleep.

: :

Luffy was determined to get to that coach, and so were the other two men with them. Running through the thick grasses of the meadow, he pushed hard to cut across the wide open to get to the vague incline ahead. Sabo had shouted that he'd take the others to the nearest town for horses, to get Nami and Tony to safety, and Ussop stayed behind to help him get assistance for the disabled wagon. Sabo knew he couldn't talk them out of pursuing the agents to get Sanji back, so he let them go with reluctance.

Now that they were on the run, he could feel his blood boiling with anger and determination. He was not going to let them reach Aeneus, not when his friend was _so close_. These months without Sanji had been a hard one for all of them, all of them in a frozen state of existence while they wondered if he were okay, if this meeting was truly going to happen. What happened for Sanji to be in the state that he was in was a story for him to tell later, when they were all together. Right now, what really mattered was getting to him.

The snowclouds were coming in fast, and the wind chill made his snot freeze. The air nipped at his skin, and he could see his breath as he exhaled. Glancing to the side of his eye, he could see their breath, too. All of them wore determined expressions, and he knew he could depend on them to follow him into this battle. They splashed through a bubbling creek, maneuvered over rocky, uneven ground, then climbed up the incline, into a thick treeline that reached upward for a large bend in the road. Luffy could see it, in his mind's eye the road that they traveled on. He knew if they cut across this forest and crossed a narrow ravine and then the wide river, they could reach the road in time to meet them. The road had to wind in a far arch away from the river, where the only spot available for a proper bridge was a narrow point in the water. They'd stopped at that bridge so they could look over the railing below, to consider fishing for a bit.

He put on the speed up the incline, the steepness felt in the strain in his thighs, but the sensation was ignored. Because his friend needed his help, and those guys shot their horses, forcing Ussop to kill them to end their pain, and they were going to _get it_.

An hour later, he scrambled through the trees, hearing Law loading his rifle. Zoro had his swords out, and the two separated, still running. The wagon was in sight, and the single rider was moving ahead, the horse clopping along with light steps. The two in the driver's seat were singing some tavern song, miming the touching of beer mugs to each other. All of them were pretty happy, considering what crimes they'd committed already. There was already light snow falling, and they alternated between complaining about it and commenting on it. Luffy knew what the land looked like around them. They'd crossed the river nearly a mile ago, and it swirled at the base of a low cliff side, which faced a wide open ground of grass, brush and what looked to be a springy meadow. Beyond that, in the vague distance, was the railroad tracks. A train traveled along it, smoke visible, but it was only carrying a single car.

Luffy headed straight for the wagon, trusting the other two to handle the man on the horse, and the ones on the driver's seat. The coach was still being dragged, the harsh sound of metal and wood being forced atop of hard dirt and stone ringing out over the songs of the men in front. How the thing remained intact said something to Luffy – it wasn't made from the same material as a normal coach. Only Law's ammunition had managed to penetrate it, so they assumed it to be _mostly_ bulletproof. Not only that, but probably able to withstand intense amounts of trauma that it might encounter on the roadway.

He came up fast, renewed by a burst of energy. He burst out from the tree line, and mere moments later, the loud crack of the rifle rang out, and the front left axle exploded, causing the horses to rear up with surprise. The men on the wagon had just barely reacted to this sound before realizing the tilt of the thing before Zoro hit from the other side, slashing through the reins and tongue at the front of the coach, the horses running free from the surprised hands of the drivers. Luffy slammed up against the door of the coach and ripped it open, shouting for Sanji. One man sat up with surprise, and the other lifted his head wearily, and once Luffy saw Sanji lifting his head up with a sleepy expression, there was chaos everywhere.

He was kicked out from the coach by the first man, so he hit the dirt in a flail of limbs, surprised by the impact of foot against chest.

Zoro was already engaged in combat with the horse rider, the animal running off with a startled whinny, Law taking one of the men in front with a blast of his rifle before the other could arm himself.

Luffy climbed to his feet, charging at the taller man that faced him, looking fiercely irritated that he'd been awakened so rudely. Throwing punch after punch just to test his range with the guy, Luffy moved in quick, confident that this distraction was enough for Sanji to escape.

Sanji was making the effort to leave the coach, dressed in weird clothes that made Luffy do a double take – _was he wearing a dress_? – but he wasn't jumping into action like Luffy expected him to. He seemed stuck there, straining to get at least half of himself out through the doorway, obviously being held back against his will.

"He changes into a wolf! Watch out!" Sanji shouted at him. "He shouldn't have that much energy, he was complaining about being tired! You have to outthink him!"

" _Quit giving away my secrets_! Look, kid, you keep this up, and I'm not going to hold back," Jyabura threatened Luffy, kicking out just to keep the teen from crowding him. He looked around to see what happened to his companions and saw Kumadori lying dead against the coach, slumped in the driver's seat, Fukuro using his assault rifle to keep Law at bay. Zoro and Kaku were matching swords in a fierce battle just feet away from them.

"They hit Kumadori! Man down!" Jyabura then shouted out with dismay. He then looked at Luffy, and removed his sunglasses, his jacket, kicking off his shoes.

Luffy looked at him with total bewilderment. Then made to remove his jacket with a shrug.

" _Idiot_! He's going to change!' Sanji screamed at him impatiently before being forced back into the coach.

"Into something more comfortable?" Luffy asked tentatively, pausing in removing his raccoonskin hat, Jyabura giving an impatient growl as he hopped on one foot, untying his boot.

"Just wait until I get this off, because you're going to get it!" he threatened Luffy, who removed his jacket and put it aside carefully, then shivered violently.

"Well, _hurry_ up," Luffy complained, seeing that Zoro and Kaku were moving into the trees, swords clanging noisily while Fukuro hunted down Law in the trees on the other side of the road, both of them exchanging gunfire.

Tossing aside his last boot, Jyabura then leapt at him, changing form in mid-air. Luffy screamed with surprise, hands out as the wolf, much bigger than him, began attacking him. Its jaws snapped inches from his face as he set his hands out on its throat, and the creature attacked him savagely, whipping its head from side to side, pushing in to get at his throat. His teeth snapped thin air as Luffy jerked his head about, screaming without breath as the animal stood over him.

Wicked growls joined the sounds of battle as he inhaled deeply, getting over the initial surprise of seeing a man turn into a wolf. It lowered his shoulders and pushed forward with its back legs, trying to bite him, aiming for his face and neck, and it was his small size and formidable strength that kept it from doing so. With a grunt, he shifted on his back, to get his legs up. Once he had his feet in the wolf's gut, he kicked upward, latching his fingers into its fur, and then twisted. The animal twisted with him, lunging forward – it was too big for him to wrestle with, he could only keep it from biting him. He gave a shout of effort as he shifted his fingers up from the creature's throat to just under its jaw, his head digging back into the dirt as those teeth snapped narrowly as his nose, at his eyelashes. He cringed, grimacing as drool landed on him, and he twisted his hips, pushing to his knees, those paws pushing back at him to keep him from getting up. Its weight and strength were more than him, and it was his own fingers clenching skin and fur that kept those teeth from latching onto him.

He screamed, then gagged as drool slipped into his mouth, and, coughing violently, he started to retch. The wolf paused slightly, then moved in to snap again until he retched louder, tasting the animal's spit at the back of his throat. The wolf pulled away, coughing on its own.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Zoro asked from his position away, catching sight of both wolf and teen in the midst of heaving action.

"I'm a _sensitive_ guy," Luffy said, eyes watery as he retched again, spitting out his own saliva caused by the heave. The wolf coughed, then sputtered, shaking its head. It managed to cough out a bit of digested food, and this caused Luffy to puke the jerky he'd been eating before the attack. Both of them heaved once they realized the other had puked.

" _Knock_ it off!" Kaku yelled at Jyabura impatiently, pushing against Zoro's strength as Zoro had him trapped against a tree. He ducked, and Zoro's swords cut through the tree, causing it to topple towards the road. Branches broke through surrounding trees as it twisted at the break, falling slightly aside of the newly created stump, knocked aside by the presence of other trees that were bigger than it. The loud crashing noise it made as it fell caused all of them to look up cautiously, judging its descent.

Luffy sprang away to avoid being hit by it, and the wolf jumped back in a similar manner. The medium sized trunk slammed hard into the coach with a crunch, jolting it, but it remained standing. Pine fluttered around in a wave of brown and green, pinecones scattering like rocks into the dirt.

"Sorry!" Zoro called out, moving after Kaku as the man jumped onto the tree trunk, to continue fighting from there. Both of them cut and swung at each other, swords clashing noisily, as Luffy used the obstacle to climb up and over, to skitter around it as the wolf resumed chasing him. Eluding the creature in this manner, the wolf dashed back and forth, snapping at him every time he had the chance, then barking impatiently as he missed him each time. Luffy crawled up the tree, making his way to the coach, dashing over the roof and then peering in through the window on the other side.

"Sanji! Get out!" he ordered, the man looking at him with a start before the window was kicked out by a foot that Luffy _knew_ wasn't Sanji's. He jerked his head back in time to avoid being hit, then looked back in with a scowl. Before he could say anything, the wolf was on that side and jumping up to snap at him, so he retracted over the roof quickly, then laid over the other side to peer in those windows.

"I can't!" Sanji snapped at him, lifting his wrist to show that he was handcuffed to Lucci, who looked pretty relaxed as he lounged in his seat, indifferent to the action happening outside. Luffy lifted up and away before the wolf could bite him from the ground, and scurried to the other side.

" _Kick_ him!" he said impatiently, the wolf running around the coach with a frustrated bark.

"I…I can't," Sanji answered softly, looking shamed. "My leg is…I can't."

With a purse of his lips, Luffy lifted up from that window and moved to the next saying, "Don't worry about it, we'll get you out, then. Either way, you're coming home with us!"

"Stupid dog, jump _up_ on the damn thing," Lucci said, hearing Jyabura chase Luffy to that side, the teen crawling over to the other window, as predictable as day.

Jyabura snarled at his voice, but he did jump up onto the coach, and Luffy jumped off to put distance between himself and the wolf, who gave quick chase.

Lucci looked over at Sanji, who looked strangely vulnerable sitting there next to him, hand over his leg. Lucci knew he couldn't put any weight on it, couldn't do much about it, and with him handcuffed to him, there was no chance of escape to his friends. If they wanted him that bad, they'd have to come inside and get him, and Lucci wasn't about to lose this round.

"It sounds lively out there, doesn't it?" he commented, frowning at him. "Look at you. What a mess. _Disgusting_. You look just as delectable as shit on a corpse."

"Yeah, well, you weren't complaining much the other day," Sanji said, pulling at his wrist with frustration. He had a plan in mind. With how fierce the efforts were outside – he heard Law's rifle earlier, and his heart thundered noisily as just how close they were – he knew he couldn't just sit here as they fought. He carefully eased himself from the seat, Lucci watching him with disinterest, as Sanji pulled out his suitcase and then looked for his clothes.

"I'm going to change," he said, reaching back with one hand to unhook the buttons to his dress. Lucci did nothing to make it easier for him, pulling back on his wrist when he felt his arm was overextended a little too much, so Sanji had to do this without his help. He glared at the other man, but managed to reach back enough to loosen most of the buttons. When he couldn't get the ones on his shoulder blades, he gave him a considering look.

"I'm not helping you," Lucci told him, looking out the window. "Why help out an enemy?"

"You forget you paid for me?"

"I paid for a woman, not a man. There's a difference."

With an annoyed look, Sanji straightened up from the floor, placed his good knee over Lucci's, and reached back, using his other arm to push his elbow as far as it could go in an effort to reach the frustrating middle buttons. When he got them, he then reached back underneath and did the rest, retreating back down to the floor. He shuffled out of the dress awkwardly with one hand, Lucci watching him with interest.

" _Look away_!" Sanji snapped at him, reddening because he was wearing the full load – the underwear, the brassiere (stuffed with water balloons, thanks to Elizabeth's ingenious idea), the slip and the garters to hold pantyhose that would hide his hairy legs. Most of it was shredded, anyway, loose flaps of material that was horridly uncomfortable beneath the skirts.

"I paid for this."

"Not here!"

But the man only made himself comfortable, now watching him, gesturing that he continue, and Sanji felt himself grow flustered because there was a fight outside that he desperately needed to join, and this man was treating himself to an impromptu peep show. It made his plan a little more difficult to do if Lucci was going to watch him the entire time – it depended on a moment's opportunity.

But he remembered Lucci answering him earlier, saying 'man' with much derision. So then he continued undressing until most of the feminine clothing was gone and, indeed, the man looked away with disinterest. Sanji hastily pulled on his shirt halfway – as much of his dress sleeve was still caught by Lucci's handcuffs, so the material weighed his arm down heavily – then pulled on his trousers, his socks and boots. He grabbed his jacket, shrugging that on halfway as well, then looked at the dress material hanging between them. Lucci was still looking away from him, so he reached into the suitcase's pockets, rummaging for the small bottle inside. The perfumed oil that Sicily had given him was opened briefly, and he dabbed himself with it, before dumping the rest on the dress, onto the seats and floor, onto Lucci's pant leg.

He tossed it back into his suitcase as Lucci caught the scent and looked at him with incredulity. "You'll scent yourself with something I can track _if_ you escape again?"

Sanji shrugged a bare shoulder, chilled by the cold that left snow falling in light tufts outside. He attempted to cover himself awkwardly, Lucci noticing his bare skin at that moment. He pulled his wrist to him, forcing Sanji to him. He immediately lunged back, and Lucci pulled him onto his lap, hand on his ass and the other twisting around him to hold onto his weak leg, squeezing hard to make him shout with pain. He leaned in with an excited exhale, to kiss and bite at Sanji's bared chest, Sanji pushing away from him, desperate not to be caught in this position by the others, by Law.

"Get off! Get off me, let me go, you fuck!" Sanji shouted furiously, pushing against his face as Lucci then bit him hard above his left breast, causing him to hit him.

Lucci laughed then, licking his lips, tasting the salt and dirt of Sanji's skin, surprised it tasted just as good as it did the other night. "Maybe it won't matter if you're a man, considering I already had a taste of you."

"Sadistic fuck! Fuck you!" Sanji snapped pulling away from him, examining the bite mark on his chest. He glared at him with burning hate, and would not regret following through with his plan.

Once he had the opportunity, he reached into his inside jacket pocket, withdrawing the lighter he felt clacking against his case of cigarettes. He flicked it on, and lit the dress just as Lucci caught whiff of the smell of smoke, looking at him in alarm. Quickly, Sanji used his other hand to wrap the material around their linked wrists, so that the dress was over Lucci's hand and arm as well.

Once he saw what Sanji had done, Lucci's face registered incredulous surprise, rising up with a start to escape the flames, then remembering he was handcuffed to him. Panic hit him as flames forced a flashback of horrid memories of his childhood – how they were burned out of their village, flames eating through their tents, through the brush around them, consuming those too wounded to flee laughing soldiers. It was a different sort of panic for him that made him forget where he was today, and the orange enemy ate at his arm, ate at the coach with as much dangerousness as the fire had of his village that horrible summer's night.

The dress burned quickly with the application of oil, and both of them started to feel heat eating towards their bare skin. With a grit of his teeth, Sanji used his boot to stamp some fallen material Lucci's leg, and Lucci slammed against his side of the coach with a startled yell, kicking out as flames licked up his pants leg. It bit into his flesh, caused him terror like none other because he was still caught up the flashback, and he was struggling to escape with the burning body of his mother still clutching his arm -

He attempted to pull his wrist back, found it caught by Sanji as he held himself back against the seat opposite him, and both of them stared at each other as smoke filled the coach, flames burning hotly between them.

" _Damn_ you!" Lucci snapped at him, wide eyed and incredulous as his arm ate the rising heat of the dress, as smoke caused them both to cough. Falling pieces of material caught flame on the floor, on the seats, and Lucci watched this happen with rising panic, realizing why the oil smelled so strong. He was caught between images of carrying his dead mother and seeing Sanji pull at him, determined to make him pay for this mistake of his. " _Crazy motherfucker_!"

"Unhook me!" Sanji shouted at him, erupting into coughs as smoke made his eyes burn, and his throat dry. " _Unhook_ me, we still have time!"

"Get out of there!" they heard panicked yells from outside, and neither was sure who it was.

When Lucci groped the side for the door, heat making it impossible to bear, he heard the blast of a rifle, and saw the hole the single round made through the door, exiting out the other side. He was targeted from this side, so he made to exit the other door, both of them coughing violently as the heat began eating at their arms, making it difficult to repress pained shouts and movements of discomfort. He pushed out that door, hindered slightly by the fallen tree, and then Sanji was holding him tightly with one arm from behind, the burning material of the dress coming apart to dangle between them, for Lucci's back to burn as some of the material laid over him.

Both of them fell out from the coach, and neither of them could escape from the heat, so Lucci kicked him just to get some space, to kick that burning thing from his arm, and both of them were screaming at this point, arms affected by the metal that burned them, pulling away from each other desperately. He saw his skin blistering, turning color, and the pain was unimaginable – until finally, Kaku slashed through the hot chain, and both of them separated, both of them in agony as the damage to their arms caused their friends to rush in.

Kaku spirited Lucci away as Zoro grabbed Sanji, tearing away the rest of the burning dress and throwing it aside, hastily putting distance between the other two. The event had Jyabura turning away from Luffy with a surprised yelp as he'd heard Lucci screaming, and Fukuro was running over with a panicked look, both of them looking over Kaku and Lucci, while Luffy and Law moved to Sanji and Zoro, and before anything could be said, both groups were moving away from each other, a truce set for the moment.

"Go! _Go_!" Luffy yelled, pointing ahead and moving to run when he realized Sanji _couldn't_ run. Law was holding him tightly, Sanji doing the same, but it was his leg that he was holding aloft gingerly. Luffy raced back and looked at him with concern before reaching up and hugging him tightly, Sanji returning the gesture with as much strength. Once he realized his friend wasn't holding him like he used to, he pulled away to look down at his leg again, worry set on his features. "Is it still broken?"

"I'm pretty sure it is, again," Sanji said helplessly. "That's why I couldn't help."

Zoro pulled Luffy aside to catch his attention, pointing at Kaku's horse lingering near the road, and Luffy raced for it without another word.

Kaku grimaced at the damage to Lucci's arm, Fukuro hastily removing his scarf to wrap it, but Kaku stopped him quickly. "Water! _Something_! We need something!"

"Get them! Get them before they escape!" Lucci snarled, holding his arm just above the burn, looking furious. "Leave me!"

"No," Kaku said quietly, looking up at the snow coming in. "No, we save this for another day. You need treatment, your wound could get seriously infected. I'll take the blame for this one. This storm's going to hurt them, too. Blackleg's injuries will slow them down, and we can catch up."

"You're disregarding my order?" Lucci asked, looking at him dangerously, snow melting on the hideous wound.

Jyabura held his nose with his paw, and Fukuro looked worried as he looked at Kaku, seeing the man nod firmly, looking at Lucci with resignation.

"Yes. For the good of all of us."

: :

Once they had the horse, Sanji sitting in front of Law as Law was the better rider of the group, Zoro looked back to make sure they were in the clear. Seeing the group of agents crowded around their leader, he gave a grim nod, saying to Law, "Ride with him, go ahead of us. Get it looked at. Luffy and I will cut across and meet you were we left off with the others. It'll be faster if we do this than go as a group. If we have to, we'll be running behind, but we get some horses. We will catch up."

Law nodded, pushing the horse to a run before Luffy could say anything. But he and Zoro hastily shifted into the tree line, and began running the same route that they'd taken earlier. Once Kaku saw this, he gave a grim frown, Jyabura anxious to give chase, but looking at him for word. Kaku shook his head, and looked at him grimly.

"Did you put your clothes somewhere safe?" he asked, Fukuro's face reflecting amusement as the wolf stared at Kaku, then looked at the burning coach. Then back at them. Jyabura then erupted into a long, mournful howl, followed by several outraged barks, snow falling softly around them.

" _Kumadori_ ," Fukuro then murmured softly, causing all of them to look in the direction of their fallen comrade. Having slumped over the coach after being shot, his body was consumed by heat and fire, and ashes lifted around them gently, mingling in with the falling snow.

"Let's get walking. There's nothing we can do right now," Kaku said firmly, prodding Lucci to walk with him, Fukuro and Jyabura watching the flames for a few more minutes before turning and following after them.

: :

Snow fell harder at this point, coating the road, forcing the horse to slow. It slipped a couple of times, and there was no pushing it to move any faster. While most of the ground was still visible, snow fell quickly, thick, and covered most of the tree tops. There was a strong, particular silence to snowfall that made it seem as if they were the only ones in the world at the moment. It seemed to absorb sound, eat at movement. The horse snuffed and heaved warm breath that shown as small exhalations, slightly sweaty from the efforts it had made most of the day. It was overworked and tired, and Law was afraid of pushing it any harder than it had done, today. Sanji was shaking violently in his arms, and both of them were cold, but there was nothing he could do about that. Sanji's flesh felt impossible hot against his shirt, and he hoped against hope that his man wasn't getting sick.

Nami had stolen off with most of that doctor's medical supplies, seemingly years ago, after the train wreck, but Law couldn't remember if any of it were things needed for this moment. He looked to the side with worry, thinking about Luffy and Zoro running through this storm, moving to cut across the land to meet them. He could imagine that they were pushing hard through the course they'd run across earlier, but the cold made a considerable difference in their strength, in their efforts, especially after battle.

He held onto Sanji tightly, utterly grateful that he could. He was much too thin, sharp and bony like him, and he worried about that. The man was either asleep or in his dissociative state, which he often retreated to if something were particularly harsh. He knew _why_ it happened, but it was something easily forgiven. Law was just grateful he was _there_. That he was able to hold him, that he could touch him, feel his breath against his neck, feel his heartbeat against his chest. Months after not being with him, and now he was there against him, again, so everything could be forgiven.

He looked around himself, recognizing parts of the road where he'd studied if he weren't trading barbs with Zoro, or distracted by Ussop, whose sharp eyes saw everything at a considerable distance. They were at least an hour away from where they left the others, and that was encouraging. He trusted that Sabo had taken care of Nami and Tony; Luffy's older brother was made of different material than them, but he had a considerable amount of better common sense than any.

He felt Sanji shift slightly against him, and he leaned down to kiss his forehead, smelling sweat, dirt and smoke, but also familiar traces of him. Just being able to touch him sent a bolt of relief and happiness through him that he could only feel when with him. He felt like he could do things right, he felt like he was something when Sanji was with him. And they still had so much to catch up on. Law wanted to tell him _everything_. About Tony talking back to Nami and being spanked for it; about Luffy and Ussop catching the worst of the lice incident; about Zoro speculating that Nami and Kidd had hooked up during some point of their travels together; about how lonely and lost he himself felt without Sanji nearby… _all of it_. Every single detail. From the start of their mornings to the very end of the day. About the little animals that scurried across their path, about the mating calls of mountain lions, the eagles they saw flying earlier, the fish that were spawning up the river to the east, the changing of the seasons, and how it affected the colors around them – _all_ of it was on his tongue.

But the silence around them absorbed it.

He felt Sanji's arm tighten around his waist, his injured arm between them, smelling harshly of burnt flesh and patchouli oil; he kissed his head again, murmuring something that even he couldn't hear. Just nonsense, really; words of love and comfort and relief. Sanji gave some sort of murmur in response, but he was pressing his face against his chest and breathing hard, and Law pushed the horse into a faster step, feeling a little worried because Sanji felt too hot, and his burnt skin smelled horrid, and the snow was falling a little thicker, now. The cold made him shiver, and the horse was pulling at the reins with a toss, not wanting to move harder than it was able.

The clouds in the sky pushed quickly over each other, covering the mountain tops, rustled what was left of the trees. But somewhere in that sound was the squeak of a flying bird of prey, circling the area for something weak and feeble.


	5. Part Five

**Ami-** thanks for that! I thought I had them in there! Grr But tags are added!

 **Siberianrs** : it was a funny scene but it's definitely going to be a challenge for luffy once he meets face to face with Lucci, who, btw, starts his revenge now. This lull in scene is definitely temporary. :( and now, onto good fluffy things!

 **Naghitan:** it definitely has its moments!

 **Part Five**

By the time they made it near the area where they'd left the others, snow had coated the fields, and the bodies of the horses left behind. Theirs was tired, and Law could feel it in the horse's movement, in the stuttering steps it was making. It had been pushed too hard all day, and with the added weight and snow, it was no doubt ready to hurt itself soon. But he saw that there weren't any tracks indicating any recent activity in the area, and he looked with worry towards the left, looking for Zoro and Luffy. All he could see were shapes of white, with the wind pushing in more snow from the northeast, causing him to adjust his hat so that the brim could catch most of it. The sound of a train's horn blasted through the heavy silence of the area, muffled by the stillness. Up ahead was the glow of fires the farmers used for woodstoves, for lanterns.

He could smell burning wood, which made him consider asking for a night to take shelter in their barn, or the like, until the horse was rested. But he didn't want to endanger them, either, if the agents came looking for them. He cradled Sanji to him firmly, feeling the man shift his head. He could feel his warm breath against him, and he let go of the reins to cover him as best as he could with his own jacket, to somehow cover them both. His legs were cold, but as long as his core was warm, he was sure to be fine. He looked at Sanji's shoes, to make sure they were practical, and was satisfied by the sight of weatherized footwear that provided definite protection from the cold.

He then checked the state of Sanji's arm, concerned about it being in open air, and carefully reached in between them to make sure burned skin wasn't sticking to either of them. With his hat lowered, it provided some protection against the snow as he examined the damage, then decided he was going to risk the farmers, anyway. Sanji's arm needed care, and Law felt comfortable enough with his way to Hell, anyway. Why not add in a few more reasons?

He set it aside and pushed the horse towards the biggest farm, because it had the biggest barn, and he was sure the owners would let them stay there with their animals overnight. He encouraged the horse to push hard for a few miles, the horse sliding a couple of times, breathing heavy, but some firm heel nudges, combined with gentle encouragement kept the animal moving faster than it wanted to.

He scanned the area again – it was completely white at this time, and he wondered what a real storm looked like if the locals said that this was only a 'light' storm. He looked once more towards the direction Luffy and Zoro were supposed to come in, and figured once he dropped Sanji off, he could go back and search for them.

Then he heard a loud whistle, coming from somewhere ahead of them. Squinting, he couldn't see anything past the snow that suddenly picked up in volume, but he could see a bright light from one of the farms. Licking his lips, he made his own whistle in return, and heard it answered with Ussop's familiar two tone. Relieved, he made for that direction, the horse sensing the feeling of a soon ended journey. It pushed itself into a light run, the snow thick enough to keep it steady, dirt completely covered over and layered with it.

He startled at the feel of cold fingers against his face, and looked down to see Sanji smiling at him, looking feverish and happy. His own heart warmed at the sight of that smile, because he had gone too long without it. He couldn't help but smile back, relieved to see him again.

"You are so beautiful," Sanji told him, and Law felt himself blushing a bit, because men weren't supposed to say that to each other. But Sanji always did, and the way he said it made Law feel that he was. He leaned down to kiss him carefully, mindful of his split lip. Sanji kissed him back, fingers moving through his sideburns, touching his cold ears, feeling along his jawline before dropping to his chest, pressing firmly. Then his fingertips pushed in too deeply, and he was pulling his head back, looking at him. He lifted his bandanna to look at his neck, then grabbed him by his jaw and tested the sharpness there with squeezing fingers.

"Have you been eating properly?" he then asked, frowning at him with concern. "I can feel your fucking _bones_. What does everyone else look like?"

Highly amused, Law smiled at him, squeezing him tightly, saying low, "That's your first concern? Nothing more, nothing about our wellbeing, just if we were eating enough?"

"I bet all of you look like shit!"

"Hey, now…"

"Who's been cooking while I was gone? Wasn't Killer in charge?"

"It's been awhile since they left."

"It's a good thing I came back at this time, I need to start putting meat on you guys for winter," Sanji muttered with some worry.

"Hush, enough, we can do that later. Looks like Ussop found us a place to stay for the night."

Sanji reached around him, and Law winced as he continued to dig his fingers into him, examining his body with concern. "What does Tony look like?"

"We're all fine!"

Sanji's eyes then widened with horror, fingers to his mouth. "Oh, god, _Nami_ …"

Rolling his eyes, Law held him tightly, squeezing him until he grunted. "Listen, kettle, everyone is _fine_. You'll see when we get there. I'm going to drop you off with them, then go back and look for the other two."

" _No_ ," Sanji said hastily, then pulled back with a guilty expression. "I mean…okay. I just…I'm sorry. I apologize, I just…I don't want to let you go. It's been months. I'm afraid to let go."

They were nearing the pathway to the farm; there was still too much that he wanted to say, but Law could see the outlines of two people in the doorway, holding a lantern. It was Sabo and Ussop, and both of them hurried out to them with concerned expressions, Sabo taking the reins of the horse and soothing it while Ussop helped Law dismount, Sanji held tightly in his arms until he could set him down.

"Luffy and Zoro made it in just minutes previously," Sabo told Law with relief. "We were getting worried about you guys, since you set off first, Luffy said."

"Horse was tired."

Sanji made to hug Ussop as Ussop gave a joyous cry, but his leg gave out, and both Ussop and Law caught him quickly, Sabo looking on with concern. The pair helped Sanji into the barn, where the heat and warmth hit them immediately

The animals in there called out with curiosity, the newest horse whinnying back, prancing anxiously as Sabo shut the doors. Then Tony was shouting out, Nami was reacting with joy, and Luffy yelled out for the fun of it, all of the Strawhats swarming Sanji immediately. All of them hugged and grabbed each other, laughing and exclaiming greetings with immense joy, and it made Sabo grin wide because it was truly a happy feeling for everybody.

" _Sanji_!" Nami cried cheerfully, slamming into him with a hug. He hugged her back, feeling Luffy on his back, hugging him just as tightly, and Ussop was climbing on from the side, Law stepping away for the others to have their turn. But Sabo noticed that he was smiling just as happily as the others, and it really was a different side to the man that he hadn't seen before. He kept waiting to see if the man would somehow hurt himself looking so happy. Then he looked on with concern as the pile collapsed, but Sanji was happy being smothered by the weight of those hugging him. All their shouts and laughter rang out, causing the animals in the stalls to look on curiously, ears flicking.

Just for shits and giggles, Zoro went and sat down atop of the pile, sitting heavily on Ussop and Luffy, all of them grunting and protesting. Ussop started crying from the lack of air, Nami laughing as she managed to squeeze out from the dogpile while Tony searched for a way in. He ended up crawling in between Sanji and Luffy, then immediately regretted it, screaming. Luffy laughing in absolute delight as all of his crew was reunited once more.

Sabo stared at the mess, taking the exhausted horse to the side, so he could remove the saddle and reins from it, give it food and water. "This is ridiculous," he then decided.

"This is nuts!" Nami laughed, before leaning over and kissing Sanji enthusiastically, smothering his cheek. She noticed his temperature with concerned pats of her hand, but she was convinced he was now in good hands, with all of them there. "I'm so happy! We're all together, again! Our _family_ is together again! You fucking bastards, no more with the stupid decisions to take off!"

Zoro stood up forcefully with a roll of his eyes, causing Luffy to grunt, a fart pushed out of him as Ussop tried crawling away, and causing all of them to complain. Tony pushed Luffy aside, then looked at Sanji with a wrinkled nose, studying him with a stern expression. "You were gone too long, Sanji. We all got lice, and Nami can't cut our hair good, and we had to make our own clothes. And Nami cried because she didn't like the jacket we made for her, and she cried because she lost her makeup, and she was mad because she doesn't want me talking like the other guys, and no one helped me with my math, so I forgot _everything_ \- !"

"You can't tell on everyone like that!" Luffy howled, ripping him away from Sanji and tossing him into the air, causing him to scream with horror, then delight as he was caught safely. "Secrets between men need to stay between men!"

"Newsflash – Sanji switched sides being away from us," Zoro said, as everyone climbed to their feet, brushing off straw and dirt from their clothes. "He was in women's clothing. He chose to be a girl."

"Fuck off, it's complicated, okay?" Sanji grumbled, embarrassed as all eyes looked at him curiously.

"A real _ugly_ girl," Zoro noticed, wincing. "Haunt my dreams later on."

"Stop dreaming about me, then!"

"I'm _not_!"

"Admit it, you missed my hot loving. I bet no one else took my place while I was gone, right? That's because no one else can take care of you like I can," Sanji asked, wrapping an arm around his neck and pushing up close to him, front to front, and leaning in to bite his nose before trying to kiss him. Zoro kicked him away. Sanji managed to turn quick enough to avoid the boot to his injured leg, snickering as he grabbed Tony from Luffy and tossed him with a delighted laugh, Tony screaming and cursing at the same time before he was caught.

Sabo was utterly confused. Because to him, it looked like the two were exchanging too long of a personal look, too close in each other's space, and Sanji _did_ try to kiss him. He'd never seen that sort of thing, aside from the affections he'd seen between him and Law on the train, but to see Sanji doing it to someone else, to _Zoro_ , in _front_ of Law – he looked over at the man, but _he_ still looked as happy as could be, like that scene hadn't even bothered him -

Sabo didn't know what to think. He wondered if this was one of those whispered things where, not only were males in love with each other, preferring each other over women, it was some sort of sordid love triangle. Because Zoro was different now that Sanji was there – dare he say it? He was happy. _Relieved_. Looking at the man with muted delight – not enough to be as bright as Law was, at the moment, but definitely noticeable. Was this the reasoning behind Zoro and Law's constant friction? This one man? Sabo was absolutely scandalized, unable to process such a thing.

"Don't waste your time," Nami said to him, noticing his confused expression as she walked past him to lock the doors. "I lived with them all this time, and _I_ can't figure it out."

"My thoughts are that easy to read, huh?" Sabo muttered, looking at the horse once more.

Nami then frowned at Sanji, hand on her hip as she returned to them, Sanji moving from man to man, examining their thinness and giving outraged comments on their health. His movements were over feminized, giving weight to Zoro's earlier accusation, and the boys were helpful enough to point that out, mimicking him with high falsettos of their own before he administered mortified excuses as to why he was behaving in that manner, making the situation worse.

She watched him with affection, even as he opened their mouths to look at their teeth to make sure they were brushing, and all three of them were already complaining and dodging his outrage with excuses. She'd never thought she'd missed this, so much. She noticed Zoro slinking away to avoid inspection, and Law was making his way towards the other horses, and she shook her head because those were the two Sanji should've been really harping on.

She walked up to him, reaching out to grab his chin, forcing him to look at her. She gave his expression a concerned look, studying scrapes and scratches, a light bruising near his temple. Other than the fact that he was absurdly thin and feverish, he almost looked the same. "What happened to your face, dear?"

"What matters is that I'm back," Sanji said, releasing Ussop's cheek, the teen rubbing feeling back into his face with a frown. "It was quite an adventure, really."

"The farmer couple allowed us to stay here for the night," Sabo said, walking over after feeding the horse some oats, throwing hay down after making sure it had access to water. "I told them that some highway robbers stopped us, and took off with my younger brother for ransom. They expect the storm to last all night, but they don't think the snow will stick. Come, let's look at your injuries. Nami and Tony collected quite a bit of medical supply for your endeavors caused by on the road injury."

Already, the teens were running for the large suitcase Nami used to store those things, and Law finally rejoined them, Sabo snatching off with his hat because nobody should be wearing hats inside. Law attempted to fix his hair, flattened by the shape of his hat as Luffy proudly showed off their supply. He had the suitcase atop of a wood table that sat against one wall, a thin line of snow building within the center of it. There were tools lying around, as well as miscellaneous cans with various oils, paint, and there was a hutch shelf atop of it that had flower pots, seeds, what looked to be extra hand saws.

When Sanji showed them the damage caused to his arm, Sabo felt faint. Hand to his forehead, dizzy, he turned away so he wouldn't have to see it, anymore. Tony handed Nami the smelling salts, and she waved it at him. For that moment, Luffy and Ussop attacked Sabo's 'lack of manliness', so as he defended himself, Zoro pointed out Luffy puking in battle. Nami walked with Sabo, giggling and flirting to make him feel better, but she didn't want to see the gruesome injury, either. It hurt her heart to see her friend hurt so badly. The group of them wandered away from Law treating Sanji, Tony watching with interest and helping when he could.

Then Law had Sanji pull down his pants so he could examine his leg. There wasn't much they could do about it. Tony looked at the injury closely, trying to see the things Law was seeing, but the man didn't say too much about anything. All he did was press his hands against the area that was purpled and swollen, giving a grim frown.

"Well, that settles it," he said low, patting the area just above the deformity, and neither Sanji or Tony knew what that meant.

He straightened up from Sanji's leg as Sanji leaned back against the table. Tony looked at him with concern, his brown curls too long and cut unevenly at the crown, where his hair swirl was. He was a couple of inches taller since Sanji last saw him, but not that much bigger - he was definitely a few pounds underweight. _All_ of them were. Sanji was going to fix that right away, so he looked down at the boy with affection, patting the top of his head. Tony's eyes then widened and his mouth dropped over at the sight of Zoro grabbing one of the hand saws to give to Law, who looked at him with a scowl.

"It's the only option," Zoro said gravely.

" _Not_ funny," Law snapped at him, taking the handsaw back and tossing it back into the shelf as Zoro walked off with an indifferent expression. Law grabbed the antibiotics he had been going for when Zoro interrupted, scowling as he dumped some pills into his hand, and sent Tony off for some water.

When Law was finished with helping him back into his trousers, Sanji leaned over to wrap his arms around him. Both of them held each other tightly, and Sanji struggled to get his thoughts together because right now, they were all a confusing blur. All of it everything he needed to say, and everything that he _should_ say, and none of it was coming out right because they were all caught in his throat.

He felt Law tugging at his hair, and he pulled away quickly, revealing his upset expression. Law kissed him hard, hands on his face, and Sanji returned the gesture, grabbing handfuls of his shirt to do so. He couldn't get enough of the smell of him, the feel of him, the very fact that he was right there in front of him! His fingers buried into his thick hair, clutching tightly, and he shifted up against him, needing to be closer and feeling Law's heart race against his chest made him feel even more loved and appreciated and he just really wanted to be absorbed into the other man so that they'd never be separated again –

Law touched his face, kissed his cheeks, inhaled the scent of him, touching him everywhere, and Sanji was doing the same thing, utterly content to be in his arms again, to feel him fitted so perfectly against him that everything was right in the world at this moment. He looked into the other man's slate grey eyes, unable to believe he'd gone this long without them.

"I'm so happy to be with you," he whispered, too emotional to speak aloud.

"I'm happy, too," Law told him in the same way, his fingers squeezing his hips, and then both of them were kissing all over again, hands moving over each other, pulling, tugging, squeezing, and it wasn't until they heard Tony yell impatiently, "Ugh, they're _kissing_!" that they stopped. Sanji chuckled against Law's chin, fingers buried in his hair, and Law smiled against his forehead, his fingers clutching Sanji's waist, and both of them kissed once more before finally pulling away, unable to look anywhere else as Tony gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Stop it, you guys! _Sheesh_. You're spreading germs to each other," Tony said impatiently, slapping a cold washcloth on Sanji's forehead. He had a cup of water with him that he'd set carefully on the table, so Law encouraged him to take the pills and drink while Tony patted his face and neck down with the material in hand. "You're still being treated, here! Pay attention, Sanji!"

Luffy's exasperated groan alerted them to his presence, hearing him say, "ENOUGH! You guys can bump dicks later on tonight, and we'll pretend to sleep! But you need to come visit with us, now! We missed you!"

Sanji laughed because Luffy was so frank and demanding, and Law was mortified because it definitely wasn't a secret when they coupled – so hard to find privacy amidst a close group of people – but they dropped contact with each other.

Luffy looked a little intense because he'd lost his raccoonskin hat during his fight with Jyabura, and now his head felt naked. His strawhat was sitting near their suitcases, but he claimed it didn't match his outfit. "We need to hear the entire story! Then you need to hear ours!"

"Mine's a little crazy, but I'd like to know the things Tony was saying, earlier," Sanji said, taking a step gingerly, but the man reached out and helped him, so Sanji could lean most of his weight on him while walking.

Once all of them had made their beds in the center of the barn, the walkway cleared of straw and dirty and all their bedrolls combined to form one large bed, Sabo put out all lanterns except the smallest one, setting that near their heads. The animals in the barn were shuffling quietly in their stalls, occasionally calling out with interest to the newest animal posted near the door. The snow and wind outside continued to build, causing some of the tiles up top to rattle lightly. But all of them were happy and comfortable with each other, knowing they'd be fine for the night.

"You can stop acting like a goddamn woman, now," Zoro said crankily, causing Sanji to growl as he waved his hands about, catching himself making feminine movements as he passed him the water pouch he'd asked for earlier.

"Stop looking at me, you're making me feel self conscious!" Sanji snapped at him, Tony hanging against his back, thin arms wrapped around his neck.

"You even smell pretty, like your postcards, " the boy told him, sniffing his neck deeply.

"Such a beautiful _gurl_ ," Zoro stated in a mock American accent, causing Sanji to reach over and slap his chest.

Sanji then laughed because everyone started making fun of Zoro's words, and Zoro stared at him flatly until Sanji cleared his throat and tried for a manlier laugh. Zoro mocked him, so Sanji kicked him with his good leg. All of them were sharing what food they had on them; jerky, a couple of cans of fruit preserves that Nami managed to hide from Luffy, and what was left of their canned fish from their journey over.

Nami said, "So, Sanji, tell us. What happened?"

"Well, at one point of the battle, I was tossed off the train," Sanji said, picking at jerky, feeding Tony before saying, "and I landed in this weird trench down from the tracks. This guy out hunting in the area heard me yelling. I'd broken my shin on the way down. It wasn't a huge break, it was…the doctor said it was a fracture…so he helped me to town. I sort of was…out of it? I hit my head, too. It was a chaotic moment."

"It was," Luffy agreed. "So what happened next?"

"So, he took me to this town – it was a small place just off the railroad, below the canyon, and the doctor checked it, set it, gave me antibiotics. But at this time, they all knew about the train crash. They figured I was part of it, and they turned me over to some Marines that were hanging at the saloon down the road!"

"Those fuckers!"

"Man, they always do that sorta thing, freaking out like that," Ussop complained.

"Boo!" Tony shouted above their noises.

Sanji picked out a fishbone from his teeth as he spoke. "So, I can't do anything, right? My leg is all splinted up, and it hurt to move – I rely on my legs, right? So they had me handcuffed and in the back seat with one of them, and I'll tell ya, that guy had never heard of a shower, because he was more smelly than anyone's beer fart!"

"Pew!" Tony cried.

"Boo!"

"Gross!" Nami chuckled, wrinkling her nose.

Sabo looked at all of them, all their faces eager to eat up the story Sanji had to tell them. The man was animated talking about it, hands gesturing wildly to describe smells, sights, action – and all of them had a response, shouting out their own opinions, giving their own sound effects, acting out a particular moment. He couldn't help but wish Ace were there instead of him, to contribute to the group storytelling. He was sure he could hear his voice in the din, and he gave a rue smile because of it.

"So once I got to the town, I hid in a pig shed at this house, and those pigs were quite accommodating," Sanji added, taking a sip of water. "Made room for me, and everything. I had to wait there while the Marines searched the entire area! I left it only to scout out the area, found this hooded cape, and someone had thrown out a wig. I put that puppy on, rubbed myself down with pig shit, and hobbled around on a crutch, talking like an old lady. They ignored me!"

"Ew, scary!" Tony cried, imagining the sight.

Luffy laughed "That is so clever! You must've smelled so bad!"

"I guess that's one way to do it," Zoro muttered, unwilling to express anything more than that.

"Was that the same wig you were wearing earlier?" Law asked curiously.

"No, it was a different one. I threw the first one away," Sanji chuckled, Nami snickering as she tried to imagine her friend dressed up as a woman. She just could not picture it, even though she'd seen him earlier yelling at them.

"After that, I hitched a ride on the next train leaving the area. It was a bitch, my leg had…well, it was infected. I just wanted to get some distance from the Marines in the area. So I hide myself nice and small in one of the animal cars, and we finally stopped in a nice area. It's well kept, it's maintained, it's obviously the inside of a Marine compound. I wound up inside the walls of a goddamn _compound_!"

"What happened?" Tony asked, horrified at the thought while the others looked at him with shocked expressions.

"Well, here's the best part of the story. So I get off the train, I'm still in my wig, I have my cape – I wander through the streets looking for a way out when I come across this outrageously decorated she-male. She thinks I'm one of her kind. She took me in. She had access to a doctor, who looked over my leg, reset it, gave me meds, and all I had to do in return was cook for all the girls in her house. They were entertainers! They sang, they danced, they outdrank Marines from all over the west! I have no talent at all, so I was only a servant, pouring drinks and all that. To maintain my cover, I dressed as I did."

"That's fantastic!"

"What an awesome idea!"

"Right in plain view! That's amazing, Sanji!"

"Of course, with my Wanted poster looking like shit, they didn't recognize or feel any such way about me at all," Sanji added merrily. "It was a great idea! My leg healed enough to start walking on it again, and here I am today."

"Only you can do something like that!"

"Hiding like a girl in the middle of Marine town! Ha ha! That's so clever! I'd never think of doing that!"

When it came to the agents, Sanji told his story with a lot less enthusiasm, and Sabo noticed that his younger brother saw something inside of it that made him scowl. Zoro noticed the look to Luffy's face, and then at Sanji suspiciously, but he was busy describing the animals he'd encountered on his flight from the agents, their faces clearly trying to picture the moment. As he described how the two agents chased him, giving up information as to why he was sick at the moment, there were questions after questions regarding it, and Sabo let go of that moment because whatever it was that set Luffy off at that moment was something he was sure he'd hear later.

"When I saw those agents the first time, they were wearing large hats. There was a man with a long black braid, another with shorter black hair, a short, fat one, and a woman. It was the one with shorter black hair that approached me," Sabo said, frowning. "I did not sense him doing so until the last possible second, when he had a gun against my back. Only it wasn't a gun – he was touching me with a single finger. It felt like a gun."

"He wasn't wearing any weaponry on him," Sanji said slowly. "He's a good fighter. Very strong. I could…tell. Reading movement, and all."

"That perceptive whore's sense, you have," Zoro said, as if reminding Sabo of Sanji's abilities. "Observational skill honed by years of service."

"It never failed me _ever_! Worked on you, you secret – "

"Fuck you!"

" _Focus_! On the story!" Nami shouted, cutting in between their rising growls.

"But he was definitely in charge," Sabo continued uncomfortably, as Zoro reached out and pushed Sanji away from him, too rough for someone his size. "I'm not sure what happened to Enel at that point, just…"

"He was still alive?" Sanji asked, reminding Sabo that he had not heard his reasoning as to why he was with them. So he briefly explained to him why he was in the area in the first place, and Sanji gave a noise of understanding before reaching over to pull himself onto Law's lap, and Sabo wondered if the man understood 'personal boundaries'. If he wasn't touching and hugging the taller man with indecent affection, he was definitely touching and leaning on everyone else. While fitting for a group that laughed at the word 'privacy', it was too touchy for Sabo.

And Law, who was the touchiest out of all of them – Sabo heard him throwing a fit over Luffy brushing up against him during an outing, causing Luffy to protest, causing a fist fight and Sabo's last shred of patience with their violent tempers – accepted Sanji easily, wrapping him up in his jacket and enveloping him with his long limbs.

When the others launched into their stories, it was definitely much later than any one of them could handle. Tony fell asleep in the middle of Ussop's fishing story, and Nami helped the boy to his bed roll, next to her. To her left, Luffy's head kept jerking, eyelids heavy, so Sabo made him lay down. By the time all of them agreed to go to sleep, the wind was significantly quieter, and the animals were still, and Sabo put out the light in the lantern.

When he awoke the next morning, bleary eyed and still accustomed to his time on the East coast, he looked over the others. He absolutely could not understand their comfort in group piles. For a moment, he panicked, because Tony was no where to be seen – but he found the boy snuggled up to Sanji, who laid with his leg carefully propped up on someone's jacket, and Law laid over him like some human blanket, snoring just above his head. Against _his_ back, Luffy's head was rested firmly against his waist, and his legs were splayed out over Ussop, who was on _his_ side facing away from Luffy, one arm stretched out over Nami's face. Though she was facing away from him, one of her legs were pressed up against Ussop's, and they were sharing a blanket – which was cause for Sabo's concern, because men and women shouldn't be sharing a blanket unless they were married. Zoro was sleeping near Sanji, but he was laid out with both arms to the side, and one of them was lying over Sanji's face, his fingers up against Law. All of them were snoring with content, exhausted over the previous day's activity, none of them caring about the lack of personal space between them.

In their most vulnerable state, Sabo supposed it made sense that they would feel comfort in their closeness with each other. He couldn't imagine doing this with his own group of friends, but then again, that was a different sort of setting.

: :

When Ivankov heard the bouncer give a low greeting, the familiar voice that replied made her drive her ink pen across her crossword puzzle with irritation – and fear. She knew she was caught. From Candy's continued absence, she hoped that the woman had managed to escape the compound, and wasn't being held against her will somewhere terrible. She looked up once she heard the approaching footsteps, and frowned as she usually did at the sight of Lucci's face. But the man looked different, today, his arm wrapped up in bandages barely covered by the black fur jacket he wore. His pigeon fluffed itself on his shoulder, head low to avoid the brim of his hat. Not only did he look as if he'd just returned from some terribly exhausting journey, those eyes of his looked vicious, today.

"She's no longer here," Ivankov said firmly. "Don't be surprised when I say it was you who drove her to flee."

Reaching into his jacket pocket and setting down the slip of paper, signed by the ticketmaster, Lucci stated, "You bought her the ticket. I'm well aware of her absence."

Ivankov frowned at the paper. She was supposed to have an understanding with the man. If a girl needed to flee for whatever reason, they were supposed to be allowed – that was his easy way into the show hall for any reason he pleased. Then she looked at Lucci. "Realize that she felt her life was in danger. She felt threatened. After all, you weren't very nice to her. Beating the girls, raping them – shouldn't that mean anything, to you? Make you feel responsible their actions?"

"No. I feel no remorse for what I do. They are paid well, handsomely, to take punishment when I see fit. Why should they be allowed to be treated gently? They've humiliated their real families, lied, cheated, stolen from others on their way, here. They're treated excessively to fine things, provided for, taken care of, they receive the best medical treatment in case of… 'accidents', more than ordinary citizens are treated to. _More_ than the natural citizens of this country were ever given."

Ivankov did not like the cold tone he was using. There was something menacing in the way he was looking at her, the way he filled the doorway with his height and presence that said something was going to happen, today. She wasn't prepare for what.

Lucci examined his arm, where burns covered most of his forearm, where the metal of the handcuffs had bit deep into his flesh and muscle, leaving it weak and useless. Even in animal form. He still couldn't sleep properly after being forced to revisit the memories he'd thought he'd stowed away. He still woke up to shrill screams and cries, to the laughter of Marines.

"Candy wasn't an ordinary woman," he said slowly.

"Did she do that to you? Maybe it serves you right," Ivankov said harshly. "For mistreating her when she volunteered to take you in. She _let you in_."

Lucci gave a rue smile. "Aye. She did. I'm not here to complain about her services. I'm here to complain about her as a whole. Where did you find her?"

"She was abandoned on the streets here in town. Of course I took her in! I would not turn away a girl in need of help!"

"What was wrong with her?"

"Her leg was broken. By her horse, she said."

"What was she doing on that horse?"

"Fleeing. All these girls flee from somebody. There's nothing different about it."

Lucci leaned in close to look at her, studying her cross expression. He saw fear bloom in her eyes, heard the quickening of her breath as just his presence caused her discomfort. "What else did you know about her?"

"She was definitely a former worker. She refused to give her true name. She did not bond well with others. She kept her back to the wall. She did not go outside. I attributed this to her lifestyle, not that I was suspicious as to who she really was. She moved like a woman. She fit in with our entertainers very easily. There was no discomfort when she used her body to entice. Maybe she was fleeing another brothel. Maybe a jealous lover. But I knew nothing more than that."

"I think you're lying. Gather up your girls. All of you. To the dining room."

"You can't interrogate us because you were spurned, you ass!"

"I will not be interrogating. Not today."

"Then, why…?" Ivankov trailed off, then said low, "I have friends higher up than you. Once they hear you've been terrorizing my girls, I'm sure they'll - !"

"Those same friends have wives and families that would be humiliated if word escaped of their past time," Lucci interrupted her firmly. A slight smile curled his lips. "' _If'_. Hop to it, Ivankov. I've a full workload, today."

With that he left the doorway, and Ivankov felt dread built up in her throat. For a few moments, she couldn't move. But then she lifted up from her chair with a heavy exhale, and went to gather the girls from sleep.

: :

Once the wagon was repaired, and horses bought, the Strawhats thanked the owners of the farm and were on their way, nearly a day later. Snow had melted, leaving the roads icy and slightly muddy, and the chill in the air caused most of them to huddle in the wagon against each other, seeking warmth. Sabo drove the wagon while Law used the horse taken from the agents, Zoro sitting next to Sabo but not being very helpful because he was already sleeping with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, head down while they talked.

"We're going to have to seek somewhere else for a suitable living space, until he's better. Right now, it's dangerous to have him out in this cold," Law told Sabo, both of them hearing Luffy's loud complaints over the chill. "It could enter his lungs, if it hasn't already."

"The city isn't that far off."

"What did it look like while you were there?"

"Very welcoming, but…too many Marines. I was thinking that if we came close enough to it, we could sneak them in, a little at a time. Settle in a place where he can heal in peace, before we set off, again."

"Is there a place like that close by?"

"There was a small town before it – very shady. Full of outlaws, bars and – "

"Sounds perfect!" Luffy said, hearing this, popping up from the back. "If there's a lot of criminals hiding out in plain sight, then we'll be safe because I doubt Marines would want to go through there with a sight on their heads!"

"It's not a sound idea! Think of all the fights you'd get into if - ?"

"Does it have a gambling hall?" Nami asked, peeking up around him with an excited expression.

"Well, yes, but - !"

"Does it have a strong sheriff to rule over the rowdies?" Ussop asked with concern, pushing his head up below Luffy's.

"No, in fact, when I passed through, they'd just shot him out front – "

"Perfect!" Luffy, Nami, Zoro and Tony exclaimed.

"No, it's not!" Ussop exclaimed.

"Listen to reason, Sabo," Luffy said firmly as Sabo sputtered. "First off, the Marines won't bother with a town like that if there's too many bad guys, around. That's one wall of protection we can rely on. Second – "

'We're low on money, and I need to make more," Nami said. "For clothing and essentials, and -! Sanji needs a room, right? He needs a warm place to stay while his leg heals!"

"But - !"

"And they have a doctor there, too, right?" Tony contributed merrily.

"Sure, every town needs one, but - !"

"I haven't had alcohol in _days_ ," Zoro growled dangerously, looking at him ominously, causing him to gulp.

He then looked for Law, saying, "Surely you think that…? Where'd he go?"

"It's our vote against yours and Ussop's!" Luffy cheered. "Law's doesn't count if he isn't here to hear this."

"Law!" Sabo shouted, peering around the wagon, knowing the man was around. He was walking the horse behind them, gazing off into the distance, obviously ignoring them. He straightened in his seat with a frown, hearing the Strawhats cheer for the win, Ussop crying in protest.

He looked back to see if Sanji would help, but the man was asleep, wrapped tightly in blankets with Tony sitting up against him, and Nami making a nest to his back so she could help provide warmth. With a harsh exhale, Sabo snapped the reins.

"Fine. Trouble, it is," he muttered darkly, frowning.


	6. Part Six

**brah:** My tumblr is Hackdrawer, and thanks for reading and leaving a comment!

 **Siberianrs:** haha!Messages to friends do get intense! law and Sanji have their moments...and they're very close to each other, and with them on the road with every bit of adventure ahead of them, there's definitely no sense of shame or privacy between them...which makes things incredibly awkward:D And Zoro never reveals his secrets - he's an open book. But how open? Haha

 **Naghitan:** ;_;

 **Part Six**

The group loved the town as soon as they saw it. It was nestled against the base of a high mountain range, with a very flat basin of dull yellow grasses opening it up to large roads, a couple of rail lines; the river was used for logging and transport purposes. While it definitely wasn't a town of good quality and reputation – with buildings created hastily to compensate for the travelers and potential gold miners lured into the area at the promise of wealth – it had everything they needed and more.

After securing some rooms at the largest hotel they had, Nami laid out instructions for them all. Sanji was still sleeping, Law sitting next to him on the bed, Tony at the foot of it, Luffy with a stubborn expression and Ussop with his nails chewed to the quick, Sabo with a frown; all of them looked at her because they had to, as she was pacing in front of them, counting off her rules on her fingers.

"There will be – no fighting that gets us noticed as a group. There will be no questioning of your bounties at the sheriff's office. There will be no _stabbing_ anybody that looks at you funny – only in _self_ defense, or the _defense_ of someone in this group! There will be no stealing from the store because you're hungry – I will buy as much supplies as I possibly can and store it in MY room! There is no drinking so much that you feel the need to pass out afterward – pace yourself! We are in a dangerous town, we need to be on alert! Only _I_ will have access to the safe that allots us money for each day! If you have a purchase in mind, you will talk to me about it first, and we will discuss what you first owe in debt, or if it's practical for the entire group. Before any of us goes anywhere, we're all getting fitted for some fucking _nice_ clothes. I do not want to continue running around looking like I just fell off a goddamn mountain. Do you bastards understand me?"

" _Yes_ ," most of them said.

"Do I need to repeat myself? Are you unclear of the rules?"

" _No_."

Huffing, hands on her hips, Nami looked at all their faces. She glared especially hard at Luffy, Zoro and Law. Three fingers pointed at them, she said slow, "If _any_ of you disregard my rules and plays the fool on these streets that happens to make us move again, especially while Sanji's hurt, I'm going to corner you in the outhouse and kill you and stuff you inside of it, and shit on you after I'm done. Is that clear?'

" _Ew_ , yeah," Luffy said with a face, Zoro looking at her in disgust, Sabo's face reflecting utter horror that she would even speak of such an act so casually.

Nami eyed them suspiciously, then indicated that they were free. She caught Tony before he could run off with the group, the boy complaining as he watched fun slip away from his hands. "I don't think so, buddy. You and me, to the barbershop. Then we're going to get some clothes. Sabo, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the post office, send off a telegram or two," Sabo said with a sigh. "Then maybe retire to my room for some sleep."

Nami then looked at Law, her eyes narrowed. "I'm assuming you'll stay here with Sanji."

"Yep."

"If you _do_ happen to go outside, you keep that goddamn knife sheathed, and if I _hear_ that rifle going off at any point of this, I'm going to find you, and rip out those earrings of yours and feed them to you, so that when you shit them out, they will destroy your insides, so that when my hands _don't_ kill you, your perforated colon will, and I will force so much fiber into your body that you won't even stop yourself!"

"….None of that isn't even medically possible, so – "

"TRY ME. You might be the former so-called Surgeon of Death but I'm motherfucking Vengeance herself. Got it?"

" _Feh_."

Nami pointed at him with warning, then pulled Tony along with her as they left the room. Sabo looked after her with newfound respect, then looked at Law cheerily. "Isn't she charming? Anyway, my room will be just down the hall. If you need anything, I don't mind running out for it."

He didn't receive an answer, but it was okay, the surly man didn't say much to anyone, anyway, but he felt better getting the offer out there.

After Sabo left the room, Law looked down at Sanji with affection, feeling his forehead. He wasn't as hot as he was earlier, and his pallor looked a lot better. He shifted down to find his injured leg, lifting up his pants leg to examine the injury on his shin. He felt it amusing that his leg hairs were growing back in after having been shaved off during his stay in Aeneus, so he rubbed his palm with distraction over the stubbly feeling while checking on the area Sanji had been favoring. It wasn't as swollen, anymore, not as hot, and the bruising had yellowed out. It looked quite promising.

The room was nice. The hotel overlooked one of the undeveloped sections of the town, so that he could look out to a crowded tree line, the large river meandering nearby. There was a narrow trail that ran alongside the water, and there were horsemen taking the dirt path towards what looked to be a ferry service. The docks were narrow and short, and the only ferry on the water was a dull colored steam boat with a high pitched whistle for a horn.

Below the hotel was the boarded sidewalk, and it was steadily used. Around the hotel were small restaurants with savory smelling scents that made his stomach gurgle. While the town looked like it'd fall apart at any moment, it was constantly busy. Most of those they'd passed along the way were covered from face to toe with heavy winter clothing, and those passing through passed through quickly, terrified of active bars, burly mountain men, and gunslingers that laughed merrily in groups.

Luffy had loved it immediately. Law suspected that rules were going to be broken, and didn't anticipate staying here for very long. It was just too active, and there were too many challenging looks from those that had already established themselves in the town, and the sheriff's office looked abandoned. While it was similar to Loguetown in the southwest, active with hopefuls passing through to advance to established territory, there was a sensation of blink-and-you'll-miss-it feeling when it came to the town's stability.

He removed his hat and jacket, setting them aside on the wooden chairs – the furniture looked as if it were all tossed randomly from room to room, and there were bloodstains near the window, and some near the bathroom. There were bulletholes in the wall above the bed, and what looked like the remains of a noose hanging in the corner. He studied it skeptically, seeing that it was cut haphazardly, and reached up to compare it with the height of the man that cut another down from it. He was significantly taller than most men, so when he touched the frayed ends of the rope, it wasn't that much of a stretch. Most of the workers in the hotel weren't that tall, the women Nami-sized and older, but there was the feeling that they were offering services other than cleaning when Nami bought the group rooms.

He looked over at the sound of Sanji moving, watching his head lift from the pillow, then look up with slight panic, spying him nearby. Then he saw what he'd been touching, rubbing his eyes with a frown.

"Don't touch that, what is that?" Sanji said, looking around the room with sleepy examination once he realized he was safe. "Where is this place? It looks…charming."

"It was the nicest place on the block. How do you feel?" Law asked, walking over to him, examining the blankets with distrust. Sanji was still wrapped in theirs, using Nami's pillow, but he still didn't trust the mattress or the bedframe that it sat upon. It was only straw and other fillers, nothing sturdy.

"A little better. Where is everyone? What is that smell?"

"I smell food. What do you smell?"

"Like…rotting bodies."

"It isn't. Come. Get up. Look around."

"My leg feels a lot better, today," Sanji said, untangling himself from the blankets with weary action, then yawning noisily when he set his feet onto the wooden floor. It took a few moments for him to get the strength to get up, then he immediately reached for his head, feeling itchy.

"Nami washed everything, twice," Law assured him with a smile, knowing what Sanji was feeling after hearing about the lice incident.

"Check me. _Please_. Because if I get it, _everyone's_ getting their heads shaved!" Sanji yawned again, looking at the ends of the noose with a frown, Law settling himself behind him to start combing through his hair. "Why was that even left there? They removed the body but didn't think to remove the rope?"

"You're fine. You don't believe in ghosts anyway, right?"

"I could change my mind," Sanji muttered, examining the floor from where he was sitting, then the walls. " _Jesus_."

Law then kissed the top of his head, touching him gently. "You're good. Are you hungry? I was thinking of going downstairs for something to eat."

"You do that. Nami gave you an allowance?"

Law showed him the bills, Sanji examining the amount with a frown. "Enough for tonight's meal, and some odds and ends. She's working on getting more."

"I shouldn't complain, it's more than enough for a meal. Does this place have running water? Oh, do you guys still have my things?"

"In the closet."

Sanji looked over at the literal hole in the wall, wondering where it led to, wondering how it was even made. It almost looked like a body impression with doors. "Do I still have my toiletries in there?"

"Nami took your soap when we ran out, and I took your cigarettes."

"GET OUT."

"Get cleaned up. I'll go get us something to eat, and get you cigarettes. Oh, and you have to push counter clockwise for the water to work, and kick the bottom pipe to dislodge whatever it is that's blocking it to allow the water to drain."

" _What_."

"That's what the cleaning lady said. Whenever the sink backs up, reddish water collects in the bowl, but a good kicking will move whatever it is to allow it to drain."

"How long are we _staying_ here?" Sanji asked with a horrified expression, as Law got up and retrieved his jacket and hat.

"Until you get better."

"I'm better, _now_!"

"I'll be back. Stay out of trouble," Law said with a chuckle, leaning down to kiss him, glad that he could. Sanji gave him a vague kiss back, looking over to the corner of the room and spying what looked to be old blood spatter on the wall, where someone must've died from some gruesome neck injury.

Once he left, Sanji got up from the bed, scratching his head. He didn't feel comfortable at all in the room, but he looked outside. It was a nice view. The clouds in the sky allowed just a sliver of blue to shine through, the trees rustling with a vague pushing. The window rattled just slightly, but was sealed tight enough to keep the warmth in. he looked at the walls with distrust. He couldn't hear anybody in either room around them, but he assumed that everyone was out on the streets – hopefully staying out of trouble. He went to the closet and found his suitcase, humming with delight at having his own things. Then he went to the bathroom and looked inside, eyeing the sink with distrust. It also served as a standing tub, and his face dropped at the thought of whatever else it had been used for if the water turned red when backed up.

There was a door where the other occupant could enter to share the bathroom, and the closet was stocked of clean linen. His skin crawled at the thought of the other occupant walking in on him while he was using the toilet or cleaning himself, and hoped Nami had at least secured a room with one of the others so no stranger could interrupt her. Hastily, he used the facilities and was out in minutes, grateful to be wearing his own clothes. They were a little loose, but they were his, and they were male. He caught himself using over-feminized movements again, and realized he had to be more conscious of himself in order to retrain himself to be 'normal'.

He listened to people walking up and down the halls, mens' voices ringing out loudly and noisily, women's voices subdued and disgusted. He felt discomfort in being by himself, watching the doorway cautiously, then the bathroom because what could stop another person from walking into their room from that area? He got up and shoved a chair up against the door there, then frowned because it did nothing to make him feel any better. Not that he was weak in any aspect, but his old fears had only been assuaged temporarily with living with the girls – none of whom were a threat, save for Blueno. It didn't help matters any after what happened between him and Lucci, but he'd turned that around into something that he felt he could control, something that was _in_ his control. Not being around the others left him feeling uneasy.

So when Law came back, Sanji was utterly relieved. They shared the heavy meal from next door, and washed it down with bad coffee that came with it; water taken from the river from Law's saddle bags was used to wash down the bitterness from it. They even shared some of the whisky Law had hidden from Zoro, buried deep into his collection of clothes and used very sparingly. The cigarettes tasted good, but the window was a bitch to open, as both of them ended up holding it open while they shared it, talking about little things that caught their eye, watching a group of men fight each other down the street, none of them anybody they knew.

Tossing the end of the cigarette to the street, Sanji shut the window and locked it, then looked at Law as he attempted to stuff their things back into the hole in the wall of a closet. "Everyone is still out?"

"Yep." Seeing that closing the closet again wasn't going to happen, Law left the mess there. Then he looked over at Sanji with a considering frown, seeing the man carefully maneuver his way back to the bed. He looked a lot better than before, his pallor healthier, but his leg wouldn't allow the weight on it. "Um…maybe there's some things we should talk about."

Sanji gestured at him to come over to him. Once Law did, Sanji stretched up to wrap his arms around his neck. Between kisses, he said, "Go wash up. _Hurry_. Let's fuck before the others come back. I missed you. _Then_ we can talk."

Everything that he wanted to say – from the train wreck, to the months in-between, to the events of now – left Law's head at that moment. Because he'd forgotten just how long he'd gone without Sanji's touch, without his body, and all of that need came back to him quickly. He reached down to grasp him tightly, to pull him close, and Sanji tightened his grip, kissing him more firmly before pulling away and pushing him towards the bathroom.

"Hurry up," he said, unbuttoning his shirt with a smile. "I left some soap in there, so wash good. Don't let it back up, or I'll leave you with blue balls."

With an excited grin of his own, Law did as he'd said. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Sanji was waiting for on the bed, completely undressed and ready for him. Law tossed his clothes and boots aside and went to him, his hands on him instantly. He ignored the feeling that told him Sanji had been with somebody else, because in the end, it didn't matter. He was with him, now, and he only did the things he had to to survive, and while there was a moment where Sanji looked a little ashamed with acknowledging Law's vague suspicion, Law reassured him with kisses and touches in that it didn't matter. He kissed the bitemarks Lucci had left on him, soothed his shame with his hungry touches, and made him open up to him. When he was inside of him, the feeling of reconnecting with him was immediate.

Sanji was vocal as he always was, whispering and hissing with rising excitement, his fingers digging into Law's skin, his body moving with him. He let Law take over him, let him reclaim him. He didn't know what he was saying, but he was definitely appreciative of Law's treatment, both gentle and rough. He wrapped his legs around his waist, momentarily reminded of his injury, but Law was more mindful of it than he was, and he was careful with Sanji. But while he pumped into Sanji with his own harsh whispers and growls, his mouth left marks over Sanji's body, and his fingers were rough on his hips and Sanji came noisily, scratching at his back, not caring who heard him at that point. Leaning over him, Law was rough with him, the sound of his hips slapping against him noisy and fast. He made to pull out of him before he could cum but Sanji held onto him tight, as if he needed his spunk.

Most of the afternoon was spent in this fashion – cuddling and talking, before getting back up and fucking again. Sanji had forgotten just how quickly the man could recover, filling him up each time, ready to go before he even got his wind back. By the time evening came, he was utterly spent. He felt sore from the inside out, and he couldn't think of a better way to feel this way after everything that had happened. He shoved Nami's pillow away, tasting his own drool and sweat as Law collapsed over his back, breathing heavily. Both of them were sticky, and Sanji felt useless in any sense of movement or motivation to get up.

"Sorry," Law apologized heavily against him, spanking him lightly. "I think that's the last of it."

Sanji chuckled, too tired to open his eyes. "That's what you said the last time."

"That's what you get for being gone for so long."

"It's amazing how, at your age, you've got the stamina of a teenager."

"Quit calling me 'old'," Law grumbled, pulling his hair before biting at his neck, and Sanji swore he felt his limp dick twitching, hardening against him again.

"I swear, I _can't_ , anymore, if you're going to – "

"No, I'm spent. It's going to have to wait until tomorrow."

"I will not be able to shit right for a month."

Law laughed loudly, spanking him again before shifting off of him, and Sanji realized he had missed that sound, because the man rarely laughed. He didn't realized just how much before his eyes misted over and filled up, and he buried his face into his arms, embarrassed by his reaction. When Law looked over and saw him in this state, he reached over to pull him up on his chest, to wipe his face and kiss him, telling him how pretty he was, which made Sanji feel a lot better.

An hour later, after clean up and another cigarette, Sanji stared up at the ceiling and realized there were bullet holes up there as well. But they looked like they came from the room above. He could hear someone walking in the floor above them and wondered if he too loud. But then it didn't matter. If people had anything to say about their wild and intense fucking, then they could bring it up to Law.

He looked over at the man as he set the chair up against the bathroom door with a frown, looking too skinny walking around only in his jeans, wild black hair everywhere. It needed a better trim, and his eyebags were too dark and Sanji felt so much feeling for him that it made his chest hurt. He gestured at him to join him in bed, and once they were as comfortable as possible on the flattened mattress filled with straw, Sanji couldn't think of a better place to be.

He liked the way Law touched him, making him feel like a _normal_ person – not a used up whore that used his body as both a weapon and a distraction device. He still remembered who the person was that fought Law's affections and feelings fiercely, believing he wasn't capable of receiving them, unsure of how to give them himself. But in this time together, he'd learned, and he'd received and he couldn't think of not having this feeling again. He felt desired for _all_ of him, not just for his body; because Law _showed_ him that he did, and the words he used to express his feelings for Sanji only cemented that. When they fucked, it was different from gaining and giving bodily pleasure to others – it was all feeling and emotion and desire, and he couldn't really separate any of that when Law was all over him. He let him take control and lead and when he did, Law made him feel like a person – not a thing.

"What did you want to talk about?" Sanji asked him, content against his flesh, nuzzling him against him while Law played with his hair and rubbed his back, and there was nothing more great than this.

"Everything." Law exhaled heavily, and Sanji could feel his damn ribs against his, and he frowned sullenly, because he needed to fix that. "For that day…I'm sorry. I let my emotions take me, make my decisions for me."

"I'd forgiven you for it. He's dead, right?"

"Yes. But…"

"And you warned me that you couldn't make any promises."

"Yes. But – "

"It's over and done with," Sanji decided, reaching around his waist, to play with his ass. Touching gently, exploring until Law shifted with some discomfort, wiggling out of his grasp. "Hey, you let me do this when – "

"That's different. It's a different feeling when you're actually up in there, goddamn it."

Sanji chuckled, biting him gently, the kissing the area. He traced his tattoos with his fingertips. "Anyway, I understand. The end result is that Doflamingo is dead. You've nothing to worry about, anymore."

"But…it wasn't that easy. It's over with, but it wasn't…after that, you were gone, and I didn't know where you were, and…for those two months, I couldn't feel anything positive."

"It was difficult," Sanji agreed quietly. "Because I wasn't even sure of your well-being, either, until I received an answer. It was so hard being away."

"We knew you were picked up, and it took a lot of driving around to at least get an idea of where you were, and your postcard arrived just in time. Nami talked Strawhat into standing down."

"I'm grateful for that. My leg was useless, but I was in a safe place. It was so difficult being without you. I rely on you so much, now."

"It's hard to think that you do," Law told him. "Because of who I am as a person. Putting you through all of that. Not even considering what it was you were going through. I was just consumed by the entirely of Dressrosa, and I was…so many things, and not one of them was thoughtful. I used you. And it's despicable, and I did it anyway because it was about my problems – "

"I know. But you needed it."

"It doesn't excuse my behavior. Otherwise, I haven't changed at all."

"But I've already decided that I'm yours, to do with what you will."

"I thought we had a talk about this, too," Law said, laying over him. He grasped his chin to look at him sternly. "You're not an object. I won't treat you like you are. So when you say stuff like that, you make me feel that you think you still are this _thing_."

"I don't know how else to say it," Sanji told him. "To even explain what I feel for you, and what I will do for you."

Leaning over him, feeling tired, Law mumbled, "I feel the same way. All I know is that you're important to me. I have some things to work on. I know what they are. Because you gave me a chance to see them. In a way, I feel like you, too. An object that others created and used, and then complained when they realized what they made."

"This is _us_ , then," Sanji told him tightly. "This is what we are. To each other, we're not objects."

"But both of us have vicious tempers, and tend to use that against each other."

"We can't both be perfect. But I feel we're perfect for each other. I think that's all that matters."

"I can't help but think that you're mine, though. I think that's confusing. Because even if I repeat myself over and over how you're not an object, all I think is you're _mine_. I don't know how to explain that one, either."

"Then maybe we're on the same page."

Law shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe. It might be different for you. I don't think you feel the need to kill anybody that looks or touches you."

"I just don't act on impulses!" Sanji chuckled, reaching for his hands to place on his body, encouraging him to touch him. "But this body, my heart, it belongs to you. Other people might use it, but it belongs to you. So do with them what you will."

"You're saying it's okay to act on this particular impulse?"

"Whatever pleases you."

"What pleases me is your goddamn mind, your heart, and the way you fight for me, even if it's my own self fighting me. But I have no problem acting on impulses, as long as you realize _why_ I'm doing it."

"Is it wrong that I love you even more?"

"Does it sound wrong to you? I'm not even sure how this works."

"As long as we're together, right? As long as I'm in your bed and you're in mine."

"I think I was a lot nicer when you were gone," Law said, kissing him, then laying over him. "Now that you're back, I might have an attitude with others encroaching on my territory."

"I thought we just had a talk about this," Sanji chuckled, feeling a tinge of apprehension once he realized Law was suddenly more awake than he was earlier. "Swear to fuck you've got the hormones of a fucking teenager."

"One more. You've been gone all this fucking time."

"I love you," Sanji told him, reaching for the oil nearby. He didn't expect Law to say it back, but he _felt_ it in the way Law touched him, the way he kissed him.

: :

Later, after evening had fallen, Law left the room. He felt a little sore and weak legged, but he felt better than he had earlier. He stopped outside the door to look at the money leftover from their earlier meal, hearing someone leave their room nearby. He looked up and scowled once he realized it was Luffy, grinning brightly at him. He was coming out from the room next to theirs, so that gave him little comfort, knowing that they would be sharing the bathroom.

"What you got there, stranger?" Luffy asked him cheerily.

"What are you doing back here?" Law asked him curtly, having not heard any movement from the other room, but then again, he had been pretty occupied.

"I needed a nap. I was getting to a point where I couldn't control certain impulses when guys looked at me funny."

"Oh?"

Luffy looked quite happy, waiting for him to catch up so they could walk together, and Law looked at him suspiciously, not liking the way the teen was grinning. His strawhat was atop of his head, and he was still wearing his 'mountain man' clothing, but the teen was known for being snoopy and listening in on others conversations – all because he claimed no one told him anything.

He muttered, "I sure hope Sanji gets his cigarette break in while I'm gone. That window was a hassle to open."

"It sounded like it."

Luffy realized his mistake, then ran ahead as Law tried to kick him, growing red from the neck up.

"You _perverted_ , sneaky little shit!" he shouted in outrage, running after him in mortification as Luffy took the stairs fast, hollering, "But I was just checking on you guys! I had to make sure you cleared the air! And it's not like you're quiet about things, anyway! The whole hotel can hear you!"

"Fuck you!"

Sanji snickered because he could hear them arguing – he felt a little embarrassed that people could hear them – this hotel was badly built, but he was drained. He curled up on his stomach, hugging Nami's pillow to him, and fell asleep, sore and content.

He woke up to the feel of weight on his bed, senses tingling. His skin crawled. He felt a warm hand on his back, patting the small of it softly, then moving up the length of his spine. He was too tired to open his eyes, and he still felt weak from all the use of earlier. When he felt his hair shifted out of his face, he waited for Law to kiss him, to say something about dinner being ready.

But the strands were only shifted behind his ear with a gentle touch, and he felt the straw-filled mattress shift as the warm body next to his whispered into his ear, "You didn't sound like that with me."

He sat up trembling, swatting outward to get that person away from him. All the old fears that made sleeping difficult when he didn't feel safe overwhelmed his mind at that moment – causing him to think he was waking up in his old room in Dressrosa with a customer on him before he could even prepare his mind for the act. Which made him a very difficult person to sleep with, but nights being with the Strawhats had allowed him some peace. He still woke up fighting Law, sometimes, but the man had grown accustomed to taking his defensive measures and either soothed him or went back to sleep without acknowledging the incident, allowing Sanji his peace. It took him a few seconds to understand where he was, to remember that he wasn't over there, anymore. And then the sensations that had overtaken him were slowly ebbing away, making him question himself on whether he was dreaming or not.

He saw Law look at him near the table by the window, where he was putting a plate down.

Sanji looked around the room, breathing tightly before he realized it was only a bad dream. A lingering bad memory from all the activity that had happened. He pulled the blanket tight around himself, reaching back to touch the spot where he'd felt the hand. It had felt so _real_ , so powerful, he immediately wanted to take a bath.

"Just a bad dream," he said hastily, as Law moved to him, intending on comforting him. He reached for him to help him pull out of bed, and he made a face as he did so. Law laughed again as he knew why.

"I'm sorry, here, c'mon, let me help you, it's all my fault," he said, Sanji's legs weak and his ass definitely sore.

"Pace yourself, dammit," Sanji muttered, feeling ill by the dream.

Later on, the others made their presence known by barging into their room through the bathroom. Tony had his haircut and was looking more like a respectable boy in wool clothes and a candy stained smile. Nami followed after him, looking more like a 'lady' then a pioneer woman, and Ussop and Luffy joined them minutes later, still looking wild and unkept, but carrying burlap bags of 'treasure' with them. Luffy cried and protested as Law said something low to him, but laughed guiltily later, moving to show Sanji what they had.

"The barber was very generous, today," Nami said, giving Sanji a knowing look as he smoked at the window. "Both of you should go tomorrow in the morning. Mention my name. It's actually nice pickings out there! Plenty to choose from! You'll like the parlor on third street, sanji, they have your style there."

"The women's dress shop?" Zoro asked, entering through the front door, having heard Nami's suggestions from the hall. " _Pretty_ dresses."

"Shut up, ass! Or you'll make me think that's your newest fantasy of me," Sanji said, closing the window with a huff. "You'd be into, that, too, huh?"

"NO! Fucking whore."

"Don't worry about it, i'll do it just for you."

Law was sitting at the table, eating slowly, handling his knife with consideration as he wondered where the boys found the sacks. He handed Sanji part of the steak he'd bought, Sanji refusing and gesturing that he eat it all, which resulted in an argument between them both. Tired of it, Nami snatched the knife from Law, cut the meat down the middle and snarled at both of them to eat up.

Hearing the sound of money being laid out on the floor, Nami nearly spit out the water she had been sipping on as Luffy and Ussop dumped out their bags.

"Where did you get this?" Nami asked, whapping them both across the head.

"You said you needed money!" Ussop whined, Luffy looking at her with hurt.

" _I_ was in charge of it! Not you! Now, _where_ did you get this?"

"Found it," Luffy said. "It was just sitting there."

"On someone's horse," Ussop added on a mutter.

"These are bank notes with a southwestern address on them," Nami said, looking at it curiously. "And these are from…"

She looked up, face darkening, both boys looking at her wearily. She began sorting through the mess, and then tightened her lips. "Gather it up. Put it back. Take it back. NOW."

"Why, though? It was such a hassle finding it and…picking it up. Those locks were something fierce, and Ussop put all his heart and soul into picking them! I'm leader, and I say we keep it," Luffy said, standing his ground. "We're bandits, we don't follow rules! And besides, they're obviously stolen, anyway! So we stole from them, it makes it even!"

Nami's face reddened, tightened, and he braced himself for a beating. But she relaxed with considerable effort.

"That's actually very logical, and I have a feeling it'll come back around, anyway."

Ussop was reading a note he found rolled up in one of the wads of cash. Red faced, he gave it to Nami, who took it from him with a growl. Seeing that it was a note, she grew interested and read it with delight, as Luffy turned and showed Sanji the boxes of ammo there, the rolled coins, and the velvet pouches of necklaces, bracelets, earrings –

Nami shrieked so loud and furious that all of them jumped. Zoro spit out his beer, Law stabbed the table, Sanji jumped up from the chair to defend her, and Ussop looked terribly mortified. Tony ran to Luffy with a startled cry, both of them holding each other as they all looked to Nami with terror.

She crumbled up the note, and walked over to Ussop, picking him up by the front of his collar. "Not. A. WORD," she growled, then stomped out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, Luffy was on him. "What was it?"

"NOTHING."

"Who was it from?" Zoro asked, looking down at the beer he'd wasted.

Ussop started to sweat. "NO ONE."

"Was it really 'found'?" Sanji asked skeptically, sitting on Law's lap as he chewed through the rest of the steak.

"It was! It was on the back of a horse!"

"With our names on it!" Luffy said cheerfuly. "That's how we found it!"

"With your names on it?" Zoro repeated slowly. "What do you mean?"

"The horse was standing in front of a bar down the road," Ussop said, wiping sweat from his head. "And it literally had our names on it."

"But no one around it?"

"Nope. Like…it had ben standing there for some time. But our names were on a placard on the saddle."

"So someone knows we're here?" Sanji asked with concern.

"I'm not going to worry about it," Luffy decided. "Because Nami acted like it was an insult. And she had a note to her, too."

"Something that only she would find, considering how closely she looks at banknotes," Sanji said thoughtfully, then shrugged with Luffy, leaning over to kiss Law's full cheeks.

Zoro spit out his beer again, as it all clicked. "So this means Kidd's back in town?"

Luffy's eyes brightened, then laughed, delighted at the surprise.

Ussop cringed, saying nothing, and that was all that he needed to say.

"I don't get it," Tony confessed, looking lost. "Why would Nami be upset about it? She was always giving him special hugs at night because he was afraid of the dark."

Sanji laughed uproariously as the realization hit them all at once.


	7. Part Seven

**A/N: When i upload from my phone, my corrections tend not to look like corrections.**

 **Thanks for reading! Hope ya'll are enjoying the story as much as i'm in it. I have one more chapter to upload, then i'm going ghost for this weekend. Leave a comment!**

 **Part Seven**

The barber trimmed the wild black hair of the surly faced man in his chair, feeling pressured as he did so. Not only was the man sitting with his shoulders hunched, obviously uncomfortable with someone touching him, the barber was pretty sure he was holding onto a weapon underneath the cape he was wearing. To the left of them, four other men sat, and they were spirited with their conversations. The boy from yesterday was there again, and he was coloring on a sheet of paper on the nearby table, occasionally contributing to what was being said. The barber felt sweaty as he combed through the sides, neatly trimmed unruly sideburns. When his shears inched too close to the man's ears, he started to hunch even more, looking angry about it.

"You have to take a shit, Law?" Luffy asked curiously. Law made to snap at him when the barber hastily pulled his shears back, afraid the man might move, and Law froze.

"Scared of a little snip snip?" Zoro asked, uncorking his bottle of liquor he had been working on since yesterday. Sabo looked at him with concern.

Ussop looked up from his nails. "I'm getting real nervous, going next."

"Look, the way I see it, we get our hair did today, Nami stops bitching at us and stops trying to do it herself," Luffy said as the barber resumed cutting. "Let's get this over with, team."

"Yesterday, I did some asking around, and I found out some interesting developments," Sabo said, the others leaning in. "You're right about this town being avoided. Not only is it infected with riff-raff, but Marines will avoid it because of it. Too many of them in numbers. Sheriffs don't last long here, either. Being that it's a gold rush town, they don't think it'll remain forever. Gold was found in these parts, but most are moving further in towards the west coast because it's easier pickings, there. The Marines and the government agreed to let this town fizzle when it will."

"And we worry _why_?" Zoro asked.

"Well, it's not to say there aren't informants around, selling information for a price. To Marines. They've an eye to the streets when there's word of potentially dangerous persons about. Of course, the only other thing for them to worry about is –"

"Bounty hunters."

"Correct! Bounty hunters will fight each other and occasionally Marines for the price of one man's head."

"So, we're safe here," Luffy confirmed. "That's a lot of useless information for you to have found, Sabo."

" _Luffy_! Not only did I learn all of that, but I also asked around about these agents. Sanji provided good enough information about them. Once I mentioned them…I had interesting reactions. Everyone knew _who_ they were, but no one wanted to talk. Except for this older chap in a saloon down the road. Drunk as a skunk. Said he and the other man with the dark hair are shapeshifters."

"What? So they get fat at will?" Luffy asked with a puzzled expression.

"No, they can change forms. From human to something sinister."

"Yeah. That wolf man almost ate me! He was a huge dog, Ussop. You'd piss your pants at the sight of him," Luffy said seriously. "Like a gigantic horse dog!"

"Smaller dogs frighten me enough as it is!"

"And Sanji mentioned that the other was a spotted cat of some sort," Sabo added. "What he described was a leopard. The drunkard went on to say that only he is from these parts. The other isn't. He was pulled from the railroads at a young age. How they came to be shapeshifters is a mystery to all. But while they're in that form, they're invincible."

"Anything can die if you put effort into it," Law said, rising up with relief once the barber was finished. He frowned at himself in the mirror, shaking loose hair from his shoulders. He felt self conscious of his newly bared neck; he felt his ears were too obvious, sticking out too far from his head. His head looked smaller. He shoved his hat on and hunched his shoulders, pulling his jacket collar up high to hide as much of himself as possible. Then he stalked out from the place, Sabo looking after him with utter confusion.

" _Damn_ ," Zoro muttered, having to agree to what Law just said.

"That man hates having any sort of attention, doesn't he?" Sabo commented. "He skulks around trying to avoid _not_ being noticed."

"He's a shy guy," Luffy admitted, Ussop taking Law's spot on the chair, the barber looking at his hair with curiosity. Then he carefully began combing through it, alarmed at how much puffier it became. "Look, he's right. Nothing's and no one's invincible. Everyone said _Mingo_ was invincible – "

"It took a _train_ rolling over him to kill him," Sabo muttered. "And, basically? He did it to himself."

" – and everyone said a bunch of Marines were invincible! I've met a ton of people on this path where everyone had a hard time beating them, but there's always a way!" Luffy said with determination. Sabo noticed the word 'beating' rather than 'killing'. He realized that out of all of their adventures, while nearly every Strawhat had easily killed a man or twenty, Luffy had not. "Look, I had trouble with that wolf trying to eat me, but now that I now what to expect, I can bet you know, I won't have the same problem the next time we meet!"

"I'd be more worried about a cat than a dog," Zoro said. "Have you seen how flexible those things are? What they can do? Remember the mountain lion?"

"I try not to," Luffy muttered sheepishly.

"A mountain lion attacked one of our horses. Would not let go. Ussop would not shoot it because it was 'pretty'," Zoro said to Sabo. "Killed the horse in front of Tony."

"Leopards are bigger," Sabo said. "I saw one in a zoo, once. Not to say this guy is exactly like it, but…maybe you should take caution, Luffy. His personality, while quiet, affected me more than I thought it would. He was just too calm and quiet."

"He was," Luffy said with an upset frown, remembering how the man looked at him from inside the coach, handcuffed to Sanji. Tall, stern-faced, with long, wavy hair, he wasn't that big of an opponent like Doflamingo, but Luffy sensed immense strength from him. What burned him more was Sanji's quiet acceptance of the fact, as well. But Sanji was always terrified of bigger men. He could not stand being in the same room with Kidd by himself, and Kidd was practically harmless. "Not like he couldn't be bothered to get up to join the others, but the others were just trying to do the job without bothering him. Even the wolf guy tried to please him."

"I get the feeling that Sanji knows more about them than he lets on. Maybe we could – "

"If Sanji wants to talk about it, he'll talk about it. But I'm not going to push him into revealing more than he's comfortable with," Luffy interrupted him firmly. "I'm sure what he said was enough, and if there was anything else he needed to say, he'll say it when it's important."

Sabo looked a little taken back by his curt, defensive tone, and he looked at Zoro for some sort of explanation. The man only shrugged a shoulder. Tony looked over with a tiny smirk, then held up his drawing. Seeing that it was a doctor that looked a lot like Law standing over a man with his insides out on display made Sabo's mouth drop open with horror.

"Only _good_ doctors know how to put people back together!" Tony said cheerily.

"That's an excellent use of color, little man!" Luffy said with proud cheer, the barber gaping at the drawing, shears hanging over Ussop's head. "You're getting more detailed!"

"Looks real," Zoro offered before taking a long swig.

Sabo looked faint for a few moments, looking up at the ceiling so he could compose himself. Once he was sure the ringing had safely passed, Tony was starting up on another drawing, humming to himself while Luffy looked over his shoulder. Sabo sighed heavily.

"So, what's this I hear about Kidd being back?"

Zoro spit out his drink, catching Ussop in the face, the barber looking at him with dismay. Sabo tossed Ussop his handkerchief.

Luffy laughed. "It's only a rumor! We haven't even seen him, yet! But word is, he's courting Nami."

Sabo snorted, looking confident. "There's no way Nami would accept his advances."

"His money? Because she sure did last night!" Tony said, looking over at him, understanding that 'advances' meant a loan of money before an actual allowance.

"No, I meant…never mind." Sabo looked uncomfortable continuing the conversation with the boy there, sure that it would venture into raunchy territory soon.

"I'm pretty sure Tony has more of the scoop than we do," Luffy said with a chuckle. "What was this about special night hugs?"

"Oh _dear_ …oh…he… _Luffy_!"

"It's not _my_ fault! I pass out hard when I'm tired, I'm dead to the world until then!"

"Did you just say 'oh _dear'_?" Zoro asked, looking at Sabo with amusement. Then he laughed, the barber looking at him with caution, Ussop cringing as those shears came a little too close to his head for comfort.

Tony looked at Sabo with a nod. "Yeah! I woke up for a drink of water on the train, and she was hugging him, but she was embarrassed because it looked like - !"

"STOP!" Sabo cried, hands up in distress. "Luffy, you are corrupting this poor boy! The things he's seen! It's -! It's - !"

Tony snorted. "Like I don't know there's things out there. There's nothing wrong with what I've seen."

"Some of these things aren't _normal_ by any means - !"

"Like what?" Luffy asked him curiously. "He's going to live adventure out with us. When we found him, Sabo, he had nobody. What makes him different from other kids out there that weren't as lucky as him? Most of my crew comes from bad places, and look how well they turned out! Well…there's no excusing Zoro, sometimes…"

Zoro shrugged, as if agreeing.

"So what if Tony's seen a little extra? One thing that's for sure, he's seen a lot of love and he knows what it's like to be loved and protected. We're all the family he's going to need from now on, and there's nothing wrong with that. Yeah, we might get into a little trouble here and there, but one thing's for sure – he's well taken care of. We're a family. No matter what we came from, we're a goddamn family. So I don't know what you mean by him not having anything 'normal'."

Sabo held his hands up in surrender. "All I was saying, was that most boys don't grow up in this type of environment. He's seen a lot of things that I haven't even seen quite yet. I'm still getting used to - ! And - ! But the truth is, you're right. He is loved, and he is definitely well guarded by loving family members."

"So, did we come to an agreement that Nami and Kidd were fucking this entire time? Like, when do you think it started?" Zoro asked curiously.

Every one of them thought about it, but no one knew. Luffy shrugged, then elbowed Ussop in the chest with a knowing wink and a grin, the barber pulling back with horror as he nearly cut off a chunk of his hair. "That alliance sounds permanent, doesn't it?"

"Let's hope not," Sabo muttered. "Let's not forget what can happen between a man and a woman. It'll be especially trying for you group of adventurers."

"What?" Luffy asked. "Undying friendship? Loyalty towards each other in battle? Or a bad breakup? Because I can see that happening. But maybe they'll be like – "

"You are _dumb_ ," Zoro told him impatiently. "He means Nami might get knocked up."

Luffy's eyes widened. Then he trembled, and to their mixed emotions, he grew delighted at the idea. "A _baby_? Like she'll have a _baby_? Oh my - ! Can you _imagine_? Zoro! Ussop! A _baby_! We're going to be brand new daddies!"

"No! Boo!" Tony yelled. " _I'm_ the youngest! Having a baby around would be a drag!"

"That would be a _horrible_ idea!" Ussop cried, the barber pulling back hastily. "Look at all the trouble we're in all the time! If Nami had a baby, we'd - !"

"But it'd be so cute!"

"NO, Luffy, it's a bad idea!" Zoro snapped at him. "Especially considering the two involved! I can't see Nami being nice with a baby, she barely nice to the one we have!"

" _Yeah_!" Tony growled.

"But we could hold him, and carry him in slings, and teach him how to hunt, and fish, and he'll be - !"

"I'd like you to spring the idea on her, see how well she'll take it," Ussop said with a snicker, the barber releasing him, removing the cape. When Zoro took his place, he drank quickly, then ordered him to cut it 'exactly the same'. The barber looked troubled at this point, because the man was glaring at him fiercely in the mirror, tempting him to make a wrong move.

"I should!" Luffy decided, sitting in the chair Zoro vacated. "I'm sure she'd be game with it! Women like that sort of thing. settling down, and stuff. I'm sure she's thought about it."

"Tell me how that goes," Sabo said with a snort, unable to see Nami 'settling' down.

: :

Later that evening, just down the road from the hotel, the festivities were in full swing. The saloon was crowded with activity, and there were more at the door, angry at being denied in. Bartenders were moving hastily to fulfill orders, and gamblers were pulling out guns every five minutes, outraged at losing money. Ladies of the night made their rounds, trying to entice men to upstairs rooms, and those looking to pick a fight learned quick who not to pick a fight with. It was too small of a tavern for anybody to feel comfortable, most pressed up against each other at the rickity tables and growling for space at the bar.

But the piano player was a talented man, and he knew how to keep a beat. He was quite happy with the way Sanji led the room into a frenzy with singing and dancing, most men involved more with the cheer than with the cramped quarters. Amidst the laughter and singing along with the well known tale of a man named Bart and his troubles trying to court a prostitute, Sanji would act out the part of the prostitute to various men who fell into the role of Bart, leading to much laughter and undignified acting of their own.

Sabo was sitting at the bar with wide eyes, hunched and trying to keep all his limbs to himself without touching anybody else, watching as Sanji flirted and fluttered his way through the stanzas of the song to men that looked as if they'd try to kill him if it were in another setting. But the cheer was too grand, and the music too peppy, and everyone was having a good time. Luffy was dancing on the table and adding his own sound effects to the song, attempting to sing and being booed.

Tony was sitting to Sabo's left, eating ice cream and drinking whatever juice the bartenders gave him, ocassionly clapping along. The fact that he was a child in a bar was enough to send Sabo's heart in a spin. Gunshots rang out at the gambling tables, and Nami roared with laughter, snatching up her winnings as Ussop stood at her shoulder, a man falling dead from his chair. Sabo's eyes widened even more at that.

Zoro was near the piano player, currently snoring, his bottle held tightly against his chest. Sometimes Sanji would wander over and slap him awake before avoiding the sweep of his sword or a kick, but Sabo knew the man was more alert of the situation than others thought.

Law was sitting with him at the bar, nursing whiskey of his own, with no one sitting around him. if someone tried, they were treated to a look of some kind – Sabo couldn't see, as he was facing away from the scene – and would quickly vacate. He wondered just what he was thinking, allowing Sanji to do this, to blatantly work the room into a frenzy with song and dance. Maybe that was why he was drinking, Sabo reasoned.

He sipped at his ginger ale, watching as one burly guy attempted to act the part of Bart serenading the prostitute about the size of his dick, but he kept fumbling his lines, and everyone kept making fun of him, so he ended up shooting those closest to him, Sanji ducking quickly. Once the man was able to get his lines out, everyone cheered for him, and the bodies were removed. For his trouble, someone at the bar tossed him a new bottle of beer, and Sanji fluttered off, continuing the song to another man to carry, looking for a perfect victim. Most of the burly faced men with weapons at the hips turned to avoid his look, clearly too shy to put themselves out there, much to the merriment of those clapping along to the song.

"I miss Brook," Tony said suddenly, frowning. "Brook was the best there ever was."

"He sure was," Law said, thinking of the old man he'd first met in Loguetown. This piano player was enthusiastic, but Brook could move seamlessly from one instrument to another without missing a beat, and he and Sanji had a better rapport. He could shoot with one hand and continue to play with the other, and it really was a shame that the man fell in battle with the Marines.

Sabo finally realized that Law was watching the mirrors behind the bar, his indifferent expression saying nothing about what he felt.

When the song finally ended, a large mountain of a man planting a comical kiss on Sanji's outstretched hand, everyone cheered for Bart's victory. Sanji then made his way to them, looking sweaty and happy as Tony handed him his glass of wine. He gulped that down, set the glass aside and hugged Law from behind, saying something neither could catch. Then walked off with a flippant wave of his hair, asking for suggestions on their next song.

Once he received it, he stopped somewhere near the stairway, waiting for the piano player to hit that first note. Then both of them started the song, and most of the men at the bar knew it, so they started singing it. Something about a gold rush adventure turned sour, but it involved a lot of acting. So the actors were pulled from tables to participate, and even Luffy hopped in, pretending to be the bear.

Sabo looked up with startled movement and saw the part where Zoro cut through two men that had been standing at Nami's table, gun to her head. She grinned and pulled in more winnings as they dropped, people scattering from blood and body as Ussop looked at him sheepishly, reloading his gun.

"I'm on a roll, tonight!" she hollered, holding up a handful of cash. "Nothing can stop me!"

"Baby?" Luffy hollered out from the other side of the room, causing her to look over at him with a start. Zoro leaned in, grabbing her drink and sniffed it suspiciously before taking a sip.

"It's only apple juice!" he hollered out, giving Nami a murderous expression as she snatched it away from him.

"Nami's _pregnant_!" Luffy shouted out to Sanji, who stopped himself in mid-song to look over her with surprise.

"I AM _NOT_!" she screamed, hitting Zoro and taking back her drink. "Who in the holy hell started that rumor?"

"Nami?" Law repeated, turning away from the bar to look back at her with surprise. "When did that happen?"

He ducked low as she threw the glass at him.

"I'M NOT! I will KILL whoever started that rumor!" she hollered, hands on her hips. She showed off her form with flare, demanding, "Does _this_ look pregnant?"

" _Momma_ ," someone said from the tables nearby, but they weren't looking at her stomach. Her dressed was very low cut. His head snapped back very suddenly as someone threw a heavy beer mug from across the floor at him, knocking him off his chair.

"Be a little respectful," Luffy said sternly. To everyone else, he shouted, "Anybody that touches our Nami gets dealt with! Is that clear? She isn't anybody you can buy, or grope, or molest! She's ours!"

"What's the point of having her around if we can't enjoy it?" someone called out from the back, and looked startled as Ussop turned and fired off a single shot. Over the sound of his body dropping, Luffy looked around, waiting for disagreements.

"Like _hell_ I'd let that idiot anywhere near me!" Nami continued, looking at Zoro with fury. He shrugged and made his way back to his chair, the piano player looking around with surprise as he kept the song running.

"I'd be worried for that child," Sabo said with trouble.

"I know how to do abortions," Law assured him, Tony nodding, not knowing what it was, but having confidence in Law's abilities.

Sabo spit out his ginger ale over a man walking by.

When the song ended, Sanji returned to them, sitting atop of the bar between them, looking bushed.

"I haven't done this in awhile," he said, sounding winded. He pulled a knee to his chest, rubbing at his shin. "This is starting to hurt."

"You still have an amazing voice," Tony assured him.

"Thank you!"

"Maybe you should conduct yourself in a careful manner," Sabo advised with a worried expression, Sanji looking at him with amusement. "You're still overly feminine, and it's caused speculation."

"I'm _trying_! Look, it was important that I take on the entire role of a lady to fit in for a few months," Sanji said, reaching behind the bar to steal a large blue bottle. He opened it from the sight of the bartenders, then refilled his glass, holding the bottle between his knees. He was wearing a pair of fitted red pants, a white shirt that was open too low, sleeves rolled up. The bandages he wore over his burn wound were fresh. He was a man much too comfortable with the display of his body, and it made Sabo uncomfortable to see someone with so much flesh on the open. "So that meant coaching myself to move similarly. New habits can be broken. And, besides, I haven't any complaints about my actions to my face."

Sabo shrugged, feeling it was unbecoming for a man such as Sanji to be as open with himself in such a small place, where men could become violent when one looked weak. But he told himself, after watching everything that had happened, that the Strawhats watched over each other carefully.

Then Sanji was off, making his way to Nami, who had an intense card game going. He leaned over her lap like one of the ladies did to a man concentrating on his cards and said something to her that made her laugh. She dumped him to the ground, then laid her cards out, causing outrage at that table.

"Pay up, bitches!" she crowed, gesturing at them to give her money. Sanji hurried over to Zoro, twisting a nipple to wake him up and then scurrying to the man behind the piano to suggest a song. Zoro threw his empty bottle in that direction and both of them quickly ducked. It hit a man sitting nearby, who was laughing merrily with his friends. When it shattered over his head, he turned and thought it was one of the men sitting behind him, so he stood up from his seat and started swinging.

Zoro winced at the fight he started.

Sanji left the piano player's side and went out onto the floor to start singing another song. Other men joined in merrily, and Sabo looked to Tony, seeing that the boy was smacking his lips as he ate his ice cream with chocolate sauce.

"You're going to have an upset stomach," he warned him, signaling for a refill on his ginger ale.

"It'll be fine," Tony assured him, setting the bowl aside. He looked up when Law left his seat suddenly. Sabo looked over and saw that one of the mountain men had Sanji cornered at the end of the bar, and while he looked okay with it, inching his way towards space to escape, Sabo knew it wasn't going to end well.

Sure enough, Law wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him back, saying something to the man that looked alarmed at being quietly attacked. Sanji slipped away and continued the song, and Law left the man as well, hand leaving the inside of his jacket. The man looked after him with confusion, then went back to nursing his drink with his friends, laughing at him. Not even a few minutes later, he started to sway in place. He looked at his cup again, baffled, then reached up to touch his neck. He looked startled at the sight of blood. Once he realized he'd been stabbed, artery slashed while Law was talking to him, he slumped and hit the floor, and those around him looked nervously in their direction. Someone tried to save him, but ended up carting him out anyway, realizing that they could do nothing to save him.

Tony looked at Sabo with awe. "That guy didn't even know he was cut until the last minute. That's how good a surgeon he was! Isn't he _amazing_?"

"That's not the word for this," Sabo said, sick to the stomach, slugging down the rest of his ginger ale as Law took signaled for a refill.

: :

Towards the end of the night, Sabo was holding Tony over one shoulder with a slight frown, both of them passed out at the bar in awkward positions. Nami had cleaned everyone out at the tables, and was nursing a large mug of beer, gulping it down like it was water, then demanding a refill. Zoro was listening to a conversation between a couple of railroad workers, giving his own two cents in their shared language, and occasionally all of them would laugh grandly about something.

Luffy was on the bar holding an intense conversation with some men about choice hunting grounds in the area, all of them eager to share meat recipes. Law was smoking a cigarette and examining the ceiling with concentration – he wasn't drunk, just intensely interested in the make of the ceiling. Ussop was sleeping on top of tables put together, and while the saloon was emptier than before, there were still men demanding drinks from exhausted bartenders. Sanji was standing next to the piano player, having grand conversations about music while the man looked up at him with a dazzled expression, clearly looking to propose, soon.

Sanji was startled when he felt something heavy and smelly being propped on his head, and he looked up, expecting Zoro to be playing some type of joke on him. But it was a man in expensive clothes, and the item was a dry mop with frayed yellow cloth – giving him an impression of a wig of sorts. He immediately snatched it off with disgust, tossing it aside as the man looked him up and down, leaning on the piano.

"I thought so," the man said with a snicker. "You're Candy."

"You're mistaken. I don't know who that is. Obviously, I'm a man."

"From Ivankov's in Aeneus. I remember seeing you there. I wouldn't forget _this_ part of you, here," he said, reaching out and touching his chest with his left hand. He grinned at him, and Sanji compared the man's features to that of a weasel. He was tall and thin, with intense black eyebrows. "It was a blue dress you were wearing that night."

"Hands off before you lose them," he warned him. In the foreground, he could see Law watching, but it was only a turn of his head. "Talking's fine."

The man had not noticed this look, focused entirely on him. The piano player looked uncomfortable. "You got out just in time, didn't you?"

"What?" Sanji asked. "Why? What are you talking about?"

"Elizabeth was my favorite, she knew her drinks. Very easy to get along with. Kinda sucked that nothing more was offered than what they gave up. I know it wasn't a brothel, but, y'know? Extra money _is_ extra money!" He gave him a knowing smirk, lifting up his glass of liquor, as if acknowledging him. "Heard you made another man very happy with your _noble sacrifice_. Was terrible what happened to Sicily. She was a nice girl. Very nice voice, did a fantastic rendition of 'Amazing Grace'."

Sanji said nothing at this point, feeling an overwhelming sensation of cold weight in his chest. He thought about Ivankov and the girls, and knew from the man's smirking face that there was more to this than simple conversation.

"Anyway, they were slaughtered, all of them. Left to rot there. They didn't even bother to investigate the murders, they just burned the house down with them in it to make way for another building. Guess they didn't want bother with trying to identify the 'girls' in their original forms. Like I said, lucky you got away, eh?"

Sanji looked stunned for a few moments, then disturbed. He didn't say anything, but that chilling sensation that came with the dream he still remembered came back.

"So, how about it? I've got cash, and lots of it," he said, holding up a thick roll, setting it between them. The piano player got up stiffly and walked away, and the man continued to talk, oblivious to what was happening behind him. "How about you dress up in that pretty gown you had and come meet me upstairs? Little extra for something _extra_ in it if you're interested."

The man moved to touch him when he felt the first point in his back, so he straightened up to look behind him.

"Are you done?" Law asked Sanji, causing the weasel-faced man to gape at him in surprise, then back at Sanji with a startled look.

Sanji nodded, unable to answer at the moment, then drifted back to the bar with an upset look. He ignored the gurgling sound of a man choking on his blood, and then the low chuckle of delight. There was another strange whining sound that followed, a hard crunch, and noises of horror and revulsion came from those at the bar. As men started to leave, paying hastily, a hand was tossed in their direction, causing upset chaos to those that had not expected to see a man stabbed in the throat, forced to watch his own hand being sawed off and tossed like bait to dogs.

"Psychotic bastard!" Zoro snapped at him, Law adding insult to the dying man by stepping on him on his way from the piano, leaving him to bleed to death on the floor, clutching the stump of his hand. With a look of derision, he said to his companions, "I have to live with that guy."

"Good thing Sabo's asleep," Ussop muttered, yawning noisily. "We'd probably have to carry him out."

"Nobody touches him, got it," one of the bartenders said, reading the situation correctly with a surprised face, the remaining customers nodding hastily to agree.

"Time to wrap it up!" Nami hollered out, setting down her empty beer mug, then releasing a mighty belch that caused all men to look at her with startled action. She laughed, wiping her mouth.

From the floor, the man lifted up, struggling to remain conscious. He sputtered thick chunks of blood as Sabo caught sight of him with wide-eyed horror, his knees almost buckling before Luffy caught him with a grin. The man managed to wheeze, "You won't- hide behind - when Lucci - coming for you!"

"Shut up," Zoro said, using a sword to silence the man forever.

Sabo nearly fainted as the head rolled near their path, and he quickly jumped, tripped and caught himself against the doorway, shoving himself out to gulp in cold mountain air as the group followed.

"What _happened_?" he gasped. "I go to sleep for _five_ minutes - ! There's blood everywhere!"

"Just some creepo being a creep," Luffy assured him, helping him walk. "Man, we need to work on your tummy. You are one weak guy when it comes to intense things."

"I'm not constantly surrounded by men who are eager to leave a scene behind them when they leave! Who was that? And he mentioned Lucci? That's the agent we were fleeing, right?"

"Not 'fleeing'," Luffy corrected. "He fled us."

"It was a _truce_ ," Zoro said firmly, flicking his blade before wiping away blood on the large body of the mountain men laying underneath one of the windows. "Because mini-princess decided to play with fire – "

"Will you let that go?" Sanji asked in exasperation, before jumping on his back, holding him tightly in a chokehold. "Or is it that you harbor secret tendencies to want to be in my place, hmm? You want to play dress up? Just you and I? We can play together in our dresses and fix each other's hair and see whose is bigger – "

Zoro tried to stab him, Sanji eluding him quickly, using a nearby support beam to catch his blade as it whipped through the air. He struggled to pull it loose, and Sanji leaned over and kissed him soundly on the forehead before slapping it hard, causing him to scream with irritation.

"Knock it off, you two!" Nami bellowed, surprisingly loud and boisterous after a few drinks. "It sucks that we were kicked out! The night just begun!"

"I can see morning peeking over those mountains," Sabo observed, squinting at the sky.

"All of you are pussies! I'm still charged! I have things I want to do! I don't want to go back to the room just yet! Let's find adventure!"

"Let's find Kidd!" Luffy shouted joyously.

"LET'S NOT!"

"Look, all I'm saying is, maybe cutting off people's limbs and making them watch isn't a nice thing to do," Ussop was saying, carrying Tony as he looked up at Law with a cringe. "I mean, they're going to die, anyway. Does it give you some sort of pleasure seeing them tortured?"

"I was trained to do so. I started to enjoy it. I haven't been doing so much of it, lately. Now that I have, I forgot how exhilarating it can be to hear those noises, and see eyes wide with fear and understanding of imminent death."

"At least use a sharper knife! You were _sawing_ through that bone!"

"Doesn't bother me. As long as it works."

"It bothers _me_!"

"Don't watch."

" _Everyone_ watches when you go off the deep end!"

Law laughed suddenly, the sound ringing out on the street. Luffy shuddered and Nami cringed. Sanji looked over, delighted to hear him being so merry after sitting quietly at the bar all night, and Zoro frowned. Tony laughed in his sleep and Sabo looked concerned, because he'd learned early on that when the man laughed, he was either causing grievous harm to someone or teasing Kidd into a spastic fit.

"I don't know if I can ever get used to the things that you people do," Sabo muttered, wiping his face with his handkerchief, then covering his mouth because he felt ill.

: :

"He told me that he'd killed them all," Sanji said later as morning came up, and they were still awake. Too sore for anything else, he'd sucked his dick and swallowed what Law could give him, then both of them shared a smoke as they watched the town awaken from its slumber. Now, Law was sharpening his knives at the edge of the bed, and Sanji was resting his leg on their pillows, and both felt good being in each other's company, talking freely. The knife in Law's hand was a Bowie style beast, and the clawed teeth made him wrinkle his nose, knowing what sort of damage it caused on human flesh. The others were slimmer style weapon that he had up his jacket sleeve, and another, shorter style that stayed in his boot. Sanji wouldn't be surprised if he had another on his person - if his long rifle couldn't do it, then Law was more than able to finish the job with his trusty knives. Fitting for a man that was known as the Surgeon of Death back east.

"Burned the house down. And I have no doubt that it was him. Lucci. Probably to punish Ivankov for allowing me to stay there."

"To get to you."

"Yes."

"Making it personal."

"Mm."

"Which means you – "

"Yes. I did what I did, I am who I am."

"Was it important that you do so?"

"Or risk being hurt. I did. Yes."

"It doesn't matter," Law then said slowly. "I understand. I just…don't like it."

"Don't like _what_?"

"That he's made it personal. But I'm aware of what effect you have on them. I can't be angry with that."

"Please don't. A couple of weeks earlier, he mistreated a woman. Sicily. She took her own life after that. He was a regular there, and…none of them wanted to take him on. So, I offered. When he took it, I learned that he intended on going after all of us Strawhats as a group, so…I did my best to be a distraction. And things ended as they did."

"It worked."

"I'm not proud of myself, you know. I'm not proud of this person that I am. If I could do things differently, I would be a different person."

"You're getting defensive."

"I can't help it. I feel like I should be."

"I'm trying, too."

Sanji sat there for a few moments, trying not to attack any further when he felt he was being judged for the things that he did. He looked over at Law, then pushed his leg towards him. "It hurts."

Law set his things down on the floor and took his leg gently over his lap, to carefully massage around the area Sanji indicated while Sanji frowned out the window and felt terrible about what had happened to Ivankov and the other girls. The silence between them was comfortable, lost in their own thoughts.

"It still drives me crazy when someone touches what belongs to me," Law confessed low, focused on Sanji's leg. "So seeing him touch you and throw out money - I lost it."

"It doesn't change my opinion of you. I feel safe with you around. What can I do to make you feel the same?"

"Just do what you do. Keep me human."

Sanji nodded, not bothered by these tendencies of his. Doflamingo had created this man to do his absolute worst on living beings; he himself was forced to lay with men, and learned to turn injury to advantage. Neither of them had the right to judge each other for the things they did, so he was comfortable with what happened.

"As you wish, my love."


	8. Part Eight

**HildyraOrul: He did ;) In a way...He just wanted him to suffer a bit, is all. Hah, and he explains his reasoning why, here.**

 **SiberianRS: Haha! I read that over and was like, why am i...? OHYEAH! haha! The Strawhats do make people uncomfortable. They're the type to be that one family in the back booth that don't give a shit what people think about them, and will continue to be merry with each other until they're done. Drinks will be a little safer in this chapter...**

 **Part Eight**

Sometime after falling asleep, Sanji gave a low noise, unsure of what woke him up. He pushed away quickly to get some air, breathing deeply, his mind fuzzy with sleep and lingering noises that didn't make sense. He was quite sure a man had just told him to pay attention to him, but it could've just been a voice from the hallway. When he sat up, Law was still sleeping, his arm hanging loosely over his waist, the other curled underneath his head. He didn't move as Sanji caught his bearings and looked at the room with tense silence. He swallowed hard, things coming back into place. He held onto the man's arm with both of his hands, looking at nothing – it was bright outside, suggesting mid morning, and the town was bustling with activity. He could hear the sawing sound of someone snoring heavily on the other side of the wall. Someone was walking on the floor above them, and he watched dust fall as it happened.

He rubbed his arms, unsure of what woke him. As he made to lay back down, he noticed that the bathroom door was slightly ajar – he knew for sure it had been closed because he himself had propped one of the chairs against it. He stared at it for a couple of moments, telling himself that Luffy or the others had moved it, trying to see if they were awake.

At least, he hoped that's all it was. He doubted they'd be watching them for any activity, considering how often they threw fits about them showing affection, sometimes. He pushed up against Law, pulling his arm around him, snuggling tightly against him. He stared at the bathroom door until his eyelids were too heavy, and he fell back asleep.

He wasn't sure how much time later he felt the man get up. He felt one of his hands rub him lightly over his neck and shoulder, pressing gentle kisses against his ear, moving over his hair. He felt his goatee against his jawline, making him shiver. Sanji could feel him move back up behind him, his erection against his back, and while he definitely wanted to please, he felt he shouldn't just yet.

"I'm hungry, first. Go get us something to eat," he said sleepily, figuring he could use that time to prepare.

"I don't like hearing 'no'," came the low growl, and Sanji sat up quickly, feeling his heart nearly stop. He looked around the room, finding it empty. He jerked the blankets around, looking for Law. His rifle, jacket and hat were gone, and the town was bustling outside, so he knew the man was just out to get them food, or something. But he scanned the room with intense unease, his skin crawling. He was quite sure that was Lucci's voice in his ear, but there was no sign of the man anywhere. It was horrifying just how much of an effect the man had on him.

He climbed out of bed and hobbled to the closet to find some clothes, and then made his way to the bathroom, wincing at the feel of his leg. He'd overdone it last night, and it was his own fault. He washed his face, scrubbing hard, then went to the other's room next door, but found it locked tight from the other side. He knocked on it, calling their names, but no one answered. With how bright it was outside, he guessed that all of them had left the hotel to eat and mingle, and they'd left him behind because he needed the rest.

Shaking a little, he quickly fumbled with his toiletries, and cleaned up. After dressing up in black trousers and a dark blue side collar shirt that felt a little too lose on him, he walked back into the room he shared with Law, and peered out the window, looking for any sign of the man. He felt terribly at ease.

He began looking for his jacket, seeing that there were clouds out there that suggested another storm on the horizon. He turned to look into the closet, hoping he didn't leave it at the bar, and came face to face with his tormentor. Lucci wasn't standing more than five inches from him, and Sanji did not know how he did not sense him. Or hear him. Or even where he came from when the room gave him no where to hide.

He released a low breath of surprise, automatically backing up for kicking room.

"Good morning. Aren't we a sleepy head after a long night out?" Lucci said to him low, full lips spreading into a slow smile. He was dressed all in black, wearing a top hat, today. The bird on his shoulder gave a soft noise before fluttering over to the table, walking along the edge before perching there.

Dressed for the cold weather, Lucci's coat was black bear fur, but his clothes were expensively tailored material. He looked around the room with minute consideration before looking back at him.

"Nero wasn't very subtle, like I'd asked him to be," he said, taking a half step towards him, Sanji readying his leg to kick. Lucci noticed it, but disregarded its power, having already noticed how much he still favored it. "So it was nice of your man to dispatch of him before I could. They weren't kidding about those two, were they? Openly slaughtering men like cattle, no regards to rules."

"What the fuck are you doing here? What do you want?"

"I have a job to do," Lucci said. He gave a small shrug, as if he didn't know why he was given that position, either. "Getting rid of you guys. Or taking you in. Whichever's easiest for me. And considering the distance from here to Aeneus, it might be a hassle leaving it for the judge to decide on your fate."

"You're going to get your ass handed to you, just like it was the other day," Sanji warned him, moving to the left, intending on creating more room between them, but Lucci stepped with him, keeping him cornered. "And you're bold. You know my friends will be back, soon. My man – he doesn't leave me alone for very long."

"I wouldn't worry about him interrupting me," Lucci said. "He's a little distracted at the moment. One thing you were right about, the Strawhats watch over each other. Watch each other's backs like _family_. Something the other agents mentioned, he doesn't like it when the weakest members of your group are targeted."

Sanji automatically thought about Tony, about Nami. But people underestimated the woman _because_ she was a woman. And to know that Law was watching over them – wherever they were – it made him feel better about their safety. Still, it didn't help that Lucci was threatening them.

He didn't realize how much he was shaking until Lucci reached out and touched him, and Sanji quickly slapped that gloved hand away from him, preparing to kick. Lucci just smiled at him, looking amused.

"I paid for this," he told Sanji seriously. "I made a payment just the other day. You're practically mine, right now."

"How could you do that to them? They've done nothing to you! They didn't know who I was!"

"Did it piss you off?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

"They were innocent people!"

"I was an innocent customer, just enjoying my stay, looking for a little cuddling and comfort, but no one gave me a second thought," Lucci said. He reached out, touched Sanji's hair, waiting for him to move. But his eyes said everything at the moment. Those pupils of his were wide with fear, and he could smell it coming off of him. "Then I found out who you really were, and it made me a little upset. Here, I was coming into Ivankov's _because_ of work, and I'm drawn back into it when you decided to show your face. You know, I would've never known you were there if you hadn't offered yourself up after Sicily. I had my eyes on Dorothy, next. She looked a little sturdy."

"I had to think about it for a couple of days," Lucci then said, turning his back to Sanji as he walked a short distance from him, pacing a little. "My perversion began when I picked up the wrong whore in this little city back northeast. Brought her back to the hotel, found out that she was a man, but – men and women are different from each other, in terms of strength and resilience. Women are the weaker sex. They're meant to be soft, large with vitality, abundant, fragile. Easily broken. But that night, this one, she took everything I gave out. Lasted longer than a woman. Fought me. Made me work. It felt good unloading onto someone that could fight me, and, at the same time, give me the satisfaction of winning her affection. That's why I find she-males more alluring than males, than females. Men are challenges in my way, and women are disgustingly easy to break. But she-males give me both."

"We're not toys for fuck-ups like you."

"Oh, but you are. When it comes to the pyramid of whose stronger in this lifetime, you can bet that sweet ass of yours that I will remain on top."

"The government allows someone like you on their payroll? You're just as bad as the people you hunt," Sanji said with derision.

Lucci smiled at him again, hands behind his back.

"They pay me grandly for this sort of work. Because I am good at it. Because who better to track down crazies with too much power than a crazy person himself? I admit, I'm a little tentative to admit that I might be just as insane as the others, but it's good reason, really. It's always better to keep your predators close than have them come for you. As long as I am able to act on my anger and stress, they let me do whatever the fuck I want. Who doesn't agree that this is acceptable on both sides? I get to monitor what they do. I get my say. I get to kill."

Sanji tightened his lips. He didn't dare drop his guard. He wondered where the others were, but figured after the other day, now that they knew who was all there, the other agents were occupying them. He felt sick and afraid to know that Lucci came after him personally, and he glanced at the window, hoping that they were okay. He could feel himself panicking inside, feel the slow throb of his leg reminding him that he shouldn't kick too hard. Especially after last night's activities.

"Okay, whatever," he mumbled. "But don't think that this will be easy. The Strawhats will never make it easy for you."

"I'm not worried about that," Lucci said, pacing slow once more. "I'm not worried about the others handling them. What I am worried about is whether or not I can get it up for a man."

"Fuck you."

"You know, it really hurt me when you refused to obey me. I thought I treated you nicely. It makes sense why you were leaving in the first place, but it still hurt. Didn't I treat you nice?" Lucci asked with concern. "Or was Ivankov right, that old bat? Were you that afraid of me?"

Sanji didn't answer either, but he was now struggling to keep himself composed. On the inside, he was fighting a building wave of fear over Lucci's intentions, the way he was stalking him through the room, and he knew the man could physically overwhelm him in any form. It was almost the same feeling as Doflamingo had given him back in Dressrosa, the man looking for any sign of weakness to pounce on, but had been turned off by Sanji's own advances, because he _knew_ that it turned him off. Lucci wasn't giving him anything to use.

He remembered how fire had practically unhinged him, but he wasn't even sure how to use that now. He looked over to the table for his cigarettes, and found his lighter missing anyway. Lucci was watching him, waiting for him to come to a resolution. The pigeon was cleaning itself, feathers fluttering in the bright sunlight that filtered in through the single window. Glass panes rattled slightly with wind, the trees outside rustling gently.

A single eyebrow lifted as Sanji made his decision. He moved quick to the window, the pigeon getting up with a startled flutter, but that man was impossibly fast. He had his hand wrapped around his throat and shoved up against the wall before Sanji's foot could completely rest against the floor. He found himself unable to inhale as his weight choked him, Lucci's fingers around his neck holding him just inches from the floor.

"I'm faster, stronger, and _angrier_ than you are," Lucci told him low. He took the kick Sanji sent out, and it was as if he were kicking iron. Lucci didn't move, and Sanji's foot throbbed. He grabbed his hand, trying to pry his fingers off of him. "What I'm really looking to do is send a message to Monkey D. Luffy. At his age, he's quite persuasive. He's got quite a following. Has the government nervous with the power he has. People…admire him. They admire that he's surrounded himself with strong people, and they admire his foolish gumption in thinking he's some sort of god."

Lucci released Sanji and then sent a knee up into his gut on his descent to the floor. Utterly winded, Sanji folded his arms around his midsection and wheezed, struggling to breathe.

"But there was something he did that made him vulnerable. When his older brother, Ace, was killed, he went comatose. His mind was rendered a mess after losing his brother in front of him. he was unable to respond to stimuli for days."

"Now," Lucci said, moving away from him, removing his hat and jacket, laying both on the chair nearby, before fiddling with his gloves, "I understand that he's a strong fighter. For someone his size, he's strong, fast, nearly impervious. I'm looking forward to exchanging a little hand to hand combat with the whelp. I don't come across fighters like him too much, anymore. Everything's so ridiculously easy."

"So…you intend on…damaging him psychologically…before hand? So you have an advantage?" Sanji sputtered, face reddening with anger as he looked up at the man, fingers balling into fists. "Fucking weak ass coward."

Lucci shrugged a shoulder, removing his gloves, tossing them in the direction of his jacket and coat. Then crouching down aside him, bare fingers on his neck. "Not really. I'd be very annoyed if he came into battle with me damaged. If you want to challenge the best, you have to let them come at you with their best, right?"

He forced Sanji's head up, thumb over one artery, index over the other, effectively stopping blood flow. He made to get loose from that grip, reaching back to grab his wrist and the other grabbing those fingers, but Lucci was the stronger man. And fear made him panic, acknowledging this.

Lucci forced him to stand, acknowledging the trouble Sanji was having trying to stay conscious. He shoved him forward, letting the man catch himself, turning to face him.

"You'll regret this, I promise you," Sanji told him, readying to fight now that he had more space available. "We're not that easy to take down."

Lucci chuckled, fingers curling into fists. "I hope not."

: :

Luffy had the sneaking suspicion that something was up. The same groups that had given them much light and cheer last night at the saloon now looked tense and ready, eyeing them all with consideration. Sabo noticed this as well, feeling his face set grimly as he studied what was left of his food. Next to him, Ussop was sweaty, and he tried not to show it, but he was losing the battle.

Zoro had stopped drinking some time back, shoveling down greasy food to help sober him up.

"Maybe they're embarrassed," Luffy reasoned with a shrug, resuming finishing off what was left of his plate. "They were pretty lively, last night."

"It has to be something more nefarious than that," Sabo said low. "I say we leave here. Head back to the hotel."

"Not a good idea," Zoro said. "If there is trouble, that gurl might have problems fighting. He was okay with it last night, but he wasn't putting it through too much trouble."

Luffy agreed solemnly. "We'll handle it ourselves, Sabo, no big deal. Besides, there's four of us and twenty of them. What's the problem?"

Sabo stared at him for a few moments, wondering if he knew the difference of numbers. But if they weren't worried about it, he supposed he shouldn't either. With a heavy sigh, he picked up his coffee, drinking delicately. He looked out the restaurant window, watching the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. It was lively, today. The mercantile store was full with visitors, and the street had both riders and wagons moving through. Cold made everyone breath out small clouds, and stray flakes occasionally fluttered by. The skies were a mixture of clouds and blue, and while it was apparent a storm was coming through, he had a bad feeling there was more than that waiting for them.

"We should go and retrieve Nami and Tony, though," he said. "Just in case."

"I wouldn't worry about them," Zoro muttered.

"I saw Law with them this morning," Ussop said, fiddling with his fork. "He was going to get something to eat, but Tony told him he wanted to show him something."

"Sabo, you're just worrying over nothing, you're imagining things," Luffy said with a light laugh. "Calm down! Have faith in us!"

"I do, it's just…it's unusual to be looked at in such a way, I feel there's something being plotted in the shadows when it comes to our well being," Sabo muttered, leaning on a palm. "What was going on last night, with that 'creepo'? What was he saying to cause such a scene?"

"I don't know," Luffy said with a shrug. "I just saw him throwing money at Sanji, and Law took care of it."

'Oh, how crass…"

"I know, right? He could've chose a better looking man than that ugly thing," Zoro muttered.

Ussop gave a nervous laugh as Luffy looked at him. He narrowed his eyes. "You know, you're being extra hard on him, for some reason," he said. "I'm starting to think Sanji was right."

"Right about what?" Zoro asked, looking at Luffy with a ferocious glare. Luffy returned it, and Sabo wondered if he should interfere as Ussop's eyes widened, looking at them both.

"You having a hard on for Sanji in a dress."

'I DO NOT!"

"You throw fits if someone looks at him funny, you get mad if he's hitting on a guy, you get all angsty when he's gone! Then you get even worse when he's back! You have this period where you - !"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

"No, no, answer it, we've all been waiting for this answer," Ussop said, safely behind Sabo, who looked alarmed.

"I can stab you right through him," Zoro warned Ussop.

"ZORO! Is it true?" Luffy roared, hitting the table, causing all their utensils to bounce. "Do you think Sanji makes a pretty lady in a dress?"

"NO! FUCK YOU!"

"Answer the question seriously, Zoro. We've all been waiting for this answer for ages!"

All of them turned to see Kidd leaning on a table nearby, dressed in heavy winter gear, holding a flyer. Around him, Killer, Heat and Wire stood, snickering as Zoro's face reddened.

"You're back!" Luffy cried in delight. "What took you so long, you lug?"

"what sort of animal is that?" Ussop asked skeptically, looking at Kidd's dyed green animal collar, attached to a multi-strapped black jacket with small chains at the shoulders. His welder's goggles were still atop of his head, but over a bright yellow bandanna that clashed over his red hair. He was wearing red and black striped trousers and black shin high boots that looked impractical for the snow, but had heavy tread. The others were dressed similarly – they looked more like pirates than bandits slash bounty hunters.

"Oh my," Sabo muttered, a judging expression on his face as he took them all in with considerable doubt.

"I had some things to do! I see you got my presents," Kidd said. "Killer thought it'd be a nice gesture, after everything you guys did for me."

"Nami liked your note you sent," Luffy said with a cheeky grin, standing up to sit atop of the booth's back. He was wearing a dark navy peacoat with a red and white wool scarf, bright red shorts and his same black boots. His strawhat dangled from his neck, but he was also wearing another raccoonskin hat, the tail dangling over one shoulder.

Kidd snickered.

"Hey, so rumor is, you and Nami were exchanging 'special hugs'," Ussop said, leaning one elbow on the table. "Is this true?"

"I'm scared of the dark, that's all I'm going to say. Besides, whoever started that rumor is going to have his ass kicked. I ain't holding back."

"Tony won't let you."

"If it's Tony, it's going to be kicked every harder, because why should I hold back on kids? If he's old enough to talk shit, he's going to get dealt shit. So! Blackleg's back, huh? Where's he at? Why's he avoiding me all the time?" Kidd complained, walking over and slapping the flyer down on the table, Zoro looking down at it with interest. "I'm starting to feel that he doesn't like me."

"He's back at the hotel. He had a broken leg, and was a little sick, so he's taking it easy."

"Told you. STD."

"Last night was 'taking it easy'?" Sabo asked. "He was singing and dancing most of the night..."

"Dancing's different than fighting, Sabo."

"You are so defensive of him, Luffy."

"What's this?" Zoro asked, holding up the flyer, where 'STRAWHATS' was blazoned on the top, along with all their pictures. Everyone looked at it with startled action, but only Sabo and Ussop could read it. Both of them looked alarmed.

"That's not a flattering picture of me, I'm bigger than that," Luffy stated with a frown. "And Sanji's not going to like that they drew him in a dress."

Kidd busted out laughing, snatching it from Zoro's grasp. "I was wondering who this woman was!"

"It's a new poster, then," Ussop said slowly.

"Yeah. Actually, I found it outside," Kidd said, looking at it once more. All of the Strawhats were there, hand drawn, with small print written below, detailing their more outstanding features. Law's college picture was replaced with what he looked like today, complete with favored black jacket and long rifle. Sanji's was a crudely drawn woman, with none of his features – just a feminine rendition of his last drawing, with added blond hair and a dress.

He laughed again. "Let me show it to him. Where is he?"

"Where outside?" Sabo asked, looking at the men beyond them.

"Oh, some guy's going around town, tossing them to everybody. I came in to tell you that, actually," Kidd said, folding it up carefully and putting it into his jacket. The group of them looked bothered that this was happening without their knowledge, but Kidd disregarded that. "I guess the bounty on your head's increased, and if people can bring you into the station by the end of the day, they get paid on the spot. You realize what sort of a position you're in, right? Being the sort of town this is?"

Luffy looked stunned, looking past him to all the hungry faces looking their way. Sabo looked alarmed once more, rising up to see that people were looking in at them from the sidewalk. Zoro finished his coffee as Ussop cowered in his seat.

"Well," Luffy muttered, rubbing his chin. "I guess we can't stay here, very long. I thought we were going to be good for at least a week."

Kidd snorted, giving him an exasperated look. "Hey, I came back up here with good reason, and I expected to start wading in shit as soon as I found ya'll. Like I said before, I ain't ever had a fucking free day where I could just sit back on my laurels. We were always running and fighting with someone! So for you to think that it's going to change, you're losing your mind."

"We're going to have to get to Nami and Tony, then," Luffy said, hopping down to the floor and stretching openly. "I know Law's with them, but I'd feel better if we were all a group. Let's go get them, and head to the hotel. Then you can show Sanji his picture."

"I'm never going to let him forget this."

Zoro opened his mouth to say something when Luffy looked at him sharply. Zoro closed his mouth with a mutter, rising up from the booth, Sabo and Ussop following suit.

"By the way, there was some debate over what you do for a living," Sabo said to kid, looking up at the taller man. Kidd was six foot five, heavily built with muscle that made him wide and large, which made him a monster compared to most men. Those boots he was wearing gave him a couple of inches, adding to it. "Are you a bounty hunter, or a bandit?"

"I dip from both sides. It's the only way to make a profit out here."

"Is that how you're going to take care of Nami and the baby?"

Kidd nearly choked on his snot as all of them looked up at him incredulously. He reddened so fast and so intensely that he was nearly purple. Killer looked at him with such shock that his arms were out, and Heat and Wire's face looked stunned.

"B-baby? _Baby_? What? What are you - ? _WHAT_? Who – is that what Tony's saying, too? There's…she's… _oh my god_ ," Kidd sputtered comically, going from one end of the spectrum to the other, looking dazed and off-set.

Luffy laughed, waving his hand in the air. "More than a hug, huh? Sickos. If it isn't Law and Sanji making noises, it's you two making a baby."

" _Is she_?"

" _No_ ," Zoro said impatiently. "Law said he'd take care of it."

Kidd looked at him, then grew furious in moments. This time, he truly did purple, and Killer fretted a little. Utensils around them began to rattle, and his fingers curled into fists, entire body shaking. Luffy studied him curiously.

"Like _hell_ he will!" Kidd bellowed, causing attention drawn their way. "THAT'S MINE!"

"So you guys _were_ fucking?" Zoro confirmed, arms crossed.

Kidd lowered his voice. "No. Who said that?"

"YOU DID!"

"I'm just saying, if she's got one – then, hey, I don't mind stepping in. Because, y'know, every kid should have a dad. I'll be a cool dad. Y'know. Even – I'm not saying that it's mine, but I will say that it is, just in case she needs some help."

"You're so _obvious_ ," Sabo said with a shake of his head.

"You're not wearing your gloves," Luffy pointed out. "How are you making metal move if you're not wearing them?"

Exhaling harshly, distracted, Kidd showed him his newest invention. "Ah, see! Based off every battle we ever had, instead of relying on those clunky things, I instead loaded my body up with these conductor straps. I'm not showing you, because I can't show it off right now in front of enemies, but these straps help conduct enough electricity to power up the magnets I have inserted in these thinner gloves. They're stronger, more intense, and I can pull and hold more weight.

"The best thing about them is, based off that huge guy's strings, I attached the repel – retract option based on the movements of my body. Pushing, I repel. Pulling, I retract."

"Freaking awesome!"

"Freaking awesome is right! For example!"

He turned, facing a group of five men that were watching them, holding flyers in their hands, intending on making their move, soon. All of them were startled when utensils, their guns and even their knives were pulled from them, all in a clatter of noise and heavy movement. But Killer and the others quickly ducked out of his path as he swept them all off to the side, leaving them defenseless.

"That's _amazing_!" Luffy crowed with delight.

"Stay away from me, please," Zoro snarled, having to put distance between them.

"There's still a few kinks I need to work out," Kidd admitted, hands on his hips. "But it hasn't failed me yet."

"Then let's put it to the test! We need to get to Nami, Chopper and Law across town, and - !"

"What's _he_ doing with them? If Blackleg's back, why isn't he with him?" Kidd snapped.

"I don't know. He just felt like hanging out with her, for some reason. Admittedly, some of us have been pretty protective of her since she announced she was _with child_."

"These are total lies," Ussop said. "She never said she was. You guys are running with it."

"How is it you're worse gossips than old women?" Sabo asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Then, let's go! That psychopathic little freak thinks he can take over on _my_ woman? Fuck him! He's going to get it, this time! That's _my_ child! I mean, that's my adopted child I plan on _raising_ – corrupting!"

"God, you're so fucking obvious," Zoro muttered, shaking his head as he pulled on his hat, hands on his swords.

: :

The two men were still trailing them, and there were more watching them from the outside, lingering on the boarded sidewalk with cigarettes and lazy observations of the weather. Nami and Tony were picking out material for the dressmaker, and Law was standing near the cash register, watching the men browse without much interest in the merchandise on the far wall from them. He'd had a sneaking suspicion that something was up when he saw one of them do a double take on the woman after they'd parted ways, and followed immediately. Tony noticed, and invited his opinion on picking out a shirt.

He figured Sanji would be asleep for some time, considering how heavily he was sleeping when Law woke up. He looked out the window, noting that the clouds passing by were getting thicker, darker. A few flakes fell without aim, and those walking by were breathing out small clouds of breath.

He felt the chill, wondering if he should spring for something more to his jacket. His clothes were mainly desert wear, allowing for protection against the sun and heat, not for the cold and ice. But, stubborn as he was, he refused Nami's persistent offer because he felt too self-conscious to be fitted and measured for something new. If Sanji were here, he wouldn't mind, but not in front of others. Those days where he and Rosinante would visit dress shops to have their clothes made for him were long gone – he'd rather the things he had on.

"What about this one?" Tony asked him, holding up a light blue shirt. Nami wanted to add pink to it, but he was arguing with her on why boys shouldn't wear pink.

"That's fine," he said, and Tony turned away to demand that he wanted this material for his shirt. The dressmaker took it, then set it aside with a cheery smile. Nami had chosen her newest dress, having been fitted and measured. The woman assured her a two day wait – she was the fastest seamstress in the West, she claimed. Nami was dead set on the dress, not wanting to look like a pioneer woman forever.

"Pick something out," she said to him with a growl. "We're here, just get it done!"

"Could you just add an insulator to my jacket?" he asked, the woman nodding hastily, nervous under his presence.

"I can have it finished within an hour," she assured him, prompting him to remove it.

Nami glared at him, hand on her hip as he shrugged out of it, passing it over. "Law, your shirt has elbow patches on it. It's thin. It's _ugly_. How Sanji lets you run around with that ugly red shirt – "

"I like it, it's fine."

"It's _ugly_! Look, there's premade shirts, here, pick one out, or I will pick it out for you," she said, hustling over to a shelf, rifling through them. "They're heavy, they're made for winter! You need it!"

"If he doesn't want it, he doesn't want it! He's good! His manliness keeps him warm, woman!" Tony growled.

She threatened to backhand him, causing him to flinch with a cry. "Don't you use that _manliness_ excuse with me, boy! I will swat the man right out of you! You hear me?"

"Yes'm!"

"She's a very good mother," Law said to the horrified seamstress. "She already has five kids."

"I'm a weary, _weary_ , woman," Nami admitted, hand to her forehead as the woman gave her figure a surprised look. "Their daddy's usually gone for most of the year! Working the railroads…meanwhile, we're living out in the countryside, these six boys and I, and they're doing all they can to take his place. His _useless_ brother here is obviously not a good provider. Look at him. Skin and bone."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the woman said with sympathy, Law looking at Nami with a dirty look.

"It's fine, we're just contributing to the gold rush dream! Now, see here, look at this shirt! It's a nice shirt! Come here," Nami demanded, waving at Law to join her. Reluctantly, seeing that the two men were watching, he walked over, holding his rifle tightly over one shoulder. She pressed the material up against him, making him frown as she forced an arm up and measured that with the shirt's length. " _Ugh_ , you're too tall and skinny. _Useless_. You and Sanji are like two ugly skeletons."

"A man's gotta have muscle on his bones," Tony said grandly, hands on his hips. "That's what Zoro says."

"Zoro's got a beer gut," Law told him.

Nami snorted, then laughed. "Oh, he does not! Stop!"

"What's a beer gut?"

"When a man drinks too much beer, they grow too many fat cells in the middle, where it is easier to store fat than distribute it."

"Ooohhh. He does look a little thick."

"Tony, if Zoro knows you're talking about him like that, he might have to beat you. Here, Law, this one."

She held up a dark navy shirt and nodded. "This one's good. I can actually tuck it in on the waist. Sanji's going to like taking it off you. The buttons look real nice."

"Sanji's his wife," she explained to the seamstress, who was watching while she sewed. "She's out sick, today. Rumor has it, she's pregnant."

"Congratulations!"

"She is _not_ ," Law said impatiently, Tony looking confused.

"What do you think about this color on me, actually?" she asked, holding the shirt up against herself. "Is it flattering?"

" _We_ think you look fine enough," one of the men said from nearby, leaning on a shelf to take in her presentation.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Nami said, lowering the shirt before reaching for Tony to pull him close. "Nice day out, isn't it? I'm sure that gambling hall will fill up quick, tonight. What time do those doors open?"

"They ain't tonight. They got something else goin' on," the other one said, looking at Law with nothing more than a sneer. Nami noticed that he'd dismissed the man, and she knew why. Without his jacket, Law looked like a gangly non-threat. His rifle, nearly as tall as him, looked like it packed more meat than his ribs did.

That was going to be their last assumption, Law looking at them with consideration.

"No trouble," the woman said quickly, looking at them. "This is my livelihood."

"Oh, no trouble at all. We're just giving this here lovely lady a compliment! Looking mighty fine for a woman with six kids! You must satisfy that husband of yours pretty fierce, right?"

"That's not an acceptable topic for kids' ears," Nami said uncomfortably, Law clearing his throat noisily.

"Let's take this outside, then," he said, nodding to the door. "Because I will make a mess inside, and will no doubt be charged up the ass for defending her honor."

"Fourteen percent for making it sound like a damn chore," Nami muttered.

" _Feh_."

"What are you going to do, boy? You look no bigger than my damn dick," the other scoffed, taking him up on the challenge. They made their way to the door, Tony cringing.

Nami returned her attention the seamstress with a frazzled expression. "Sorry about that."

"I'm more worried about your husband's brother than the attention caused," the seamstress said. "Maybe I should call for help…?"

"No, trust me, he'll come back in here, and people will be running from him the next time they see him," Nami said, laying out some dollar bills and change. "Here's for everything. And a little extra, just in case."

Sure enough, a couple ran past the door with startled screams. A horse bucked nervously at the sound, and others began running as well. Nami looked embarrassed, tucking her hair behind her ear. When Law returned, he looked at his bloodied shirt with irritation, rubbing his arms.

"It's cold out there," he complained. He held up the flyer. "And they were holding this."

Nami walked over and snatched it from him, careful not to touch bloodied areas. Hand to her mouth, she cringed. "Oh, _great_."

"There's a lot of them out there. Big group of them looking hungry. Down the street, others are saddling up. I'm guessing they're headed for the others. After this, we should return to the hotel."

"We can leave, now. Our order is in. first, change out of that shirt, and into this one," she then said, Tony bringing her the shirt they just paid for. As he changed, she looked back to the woman. "Thank you! We'll return another time to pick up our order!"

"You're welcome!" she responded with a light wave, looking concerned. The trio left, and she sat at her chair for a few moments, before reaching back and knocking on the wall. From the doorway emerged a couple of teenagers with rifles of their own. She pointed after them. "The woman and the boy are not to be harmed. She has access to a lot of money. Make sure you hit the man first – he's stronger than he looks. Got it?"

"Yes, mum," one said, leaving the dress shop with a harsh exclamation at the cold air that bit their lungs.

: :

As they walked, Law noticed that they were being looked at. First Nami, then Tony, then him. The flyer was almost in every man's hand they could see. He realized that this was an unusual event – but the enemy was clever. They'd known that the Strawhats were in town, and, to stir up a frenzy, to cause a distraction, they littered the riff-raff with a promising reward if they were to somehow kill or capture the Strawhats. There was a bigger reward for them being alive than they were dead.

He exhaled heavily, clutching his rifle as Nami and Tony walked closely up to him. Being that they were surrounded by bounty hunters, mountain men, bored gunmen and other such types, it wasn't that easy making their way down the boarded sidewalk. He felt Nami hook her finger on his belt loop, holding Tony between them, the boy reaching up to hold onto him as well.

He started to cringe with the contact, uncomfortable with being any sort of comfort source, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't push away when they were in danger of being snatched.

Somewhere, glass shattered. And this drew the attention of those on the sidewalk. Gunshots rang out. Someone screamed, and another howled with excitement.

"SHIT," Nami cursed noisily, recognizing that scream.

"Get 'em, boys! It's all for one!" someone howled from down the street, and all attention returned to them. Gunfire rang out again, as well as huge cracking noises that seemed to reverberate throughout the glass panes around them.

When Nami spotted the man shouting encouragement, she thought she recognized him. A man in a low slung hat, tall and skinny, walking away, whispering their presence to others that looked over with interest. From her skirts, she withdrew her baton, and extended it with a flare of her hand, pushing away from Law. Men drew guns in apprehension, and Law looked unsettled, but he had his rifle in both hands.

"Let's try this out!" she said, her staff extending a couple of inches more. With a slow spin to warm up her arms, she then twirled it quickly, moving from side to side, before and in front of her before slamming it hard on the dirt in front of her. Tony hunched his shoulders, but pushed away, and sought cover underneath the sidewalk, which opened up with enough space for him to hide with some stray dogs that were laying in there for warmth.

"Ussop's newest, greatest invention, ever! _The Perfect Baton_! Come at me, boys," she encouraged with a gesture of her free hand. "Let's see what you guys have against lil ole me. I'm going to lay you out and take all your money!"

With a heavy exhale, seeing that they were potentially going to fight almost everyone in town eager for that bounty, Law wondered if Sanji were awake yet. There was an exploding sound that caused some horses to scatter with their riders, and more gunfire that seemed to be surging their way.

Then he lifted the rifle and began shooting, men moving towards them with battle cries leaving them.

: :

It wasn't the same.

Having wrapped the unconscious man's legs around his waist, it was not the same feeling he had when Candy was bright and alive at Ivankov's. Lucci finished applying the last of Nami's lipstick to Sanji's lips, tongue between his lips as he carefully wiped smears from the corners of his mouth. He set that aside, leaning over him, and pulling the wig he'd taken from Ivankov's office onto Sanji's head. Then eased pins in to hold it in place. After, he sat back and examined his work. After beating the man unconscious, he'd removed all the clothes that he'd been wearing and tugged on the garments he'd taken from Candy's room. It took a lot of concentration to do so. He was so used to taking them off, not putting them on, that he consulted Hattori a couple of times on what went where. But all his efforts paid off.

He adjusted Sanji's – no, _Candy's_ – legs around him and leaned forward to smudge a little of her blush up her cheekbones. He frowned at the uneven application of charcoal around his eyes, unsure of how to render it to blond eyelashes. Then he drew his hands over nearly bare shoulders, the yellow gown with narrow straps, ruffle trim chest and banded middle ensuring a flare of material at the skirts. He could feel hair on her legs and frowned at this. He reached for the suitcase he'd dropped nearby, and found the jar of shaving cream and a razor. Then very carefully shaved those long legs, concentrating on the task.

It was nearly mid-noon, and he'd heard gunshots outside, shouts and screams, but nothing in the hotel raised any alarm. He wasn't sure how much time he'd lost doing this, but he wasn't complaining about it, either. The more Candy came back to him, the happier he felt seeing her again.

Once he could run his fingers up silky smooth legs, he was pleased. He pulled those skirts over them, then leaned over Candy again. He admired his work, reaching up to draw a finger over a thin chest, to reveal half of it to him. Then shifted limp arms up so that they were spread apart, palms up. He leaned down to take that pert, pink nipple to his mouth, tasting it, waiting for her to respond to him. When nothing happened, he moved over exposed flesh, growing excited over the presentation before him. He drew his hands down over that tight midsection, then up freshly shaved legs, humming with arousal.

"Wake up," he said softly, leaning over to nibble at her upturned jawline. He bit hard enough for her to respond with light movement, her legs shifting slightly, but only lashes fluttered in response. "Wake up. Pay attention to me. _Let me in_."

He leaned over to nudge her cheek with his nose, smelling her, tasting the light salt of her flesh. Then reached for her chin, to tilt her head up to his. "Wake up. Wake up, wake up wake up."

He kissed colored lips gently, feeling them twitch, but only to frown. Sensing her awakening, he reached between them to unzip his trousers, to stroke himself to full hardness as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. Then leaned over her, making sure that he was the first thing she saw.

"Wake up, princess. Let me in. I've had a hard week looking for you."


	9. Part Nine

**A/N: The relations mentioned here are pure speculation!**

 **Naghitan: Ah! This week has been especially hard for him :o**

 **HildyaOrul: He is, but to what degree? I'm glad you like it – I only like him for his ruthless trolling of people, but how he and Sanji interact is a true mystery for me. I'm scrambling, here. As for deaths, well…it *is a western!**

 **T.K.: Lol I thought long hair was in with men, lately! Manbuns?**

 **SiberianRS: It was a little creepy, wasn't it? Kinda cringing thinking about it. But that was the intention~ he's just a tiny bit off.**

 **Part Nine**

Taking cover behind some wagons, Ussop methodically began picking off men that were advancing their way from the south side of the street. As he reloaded, Killer took his place. To their left, Heat fired off his shotgun, taking out horse riders that ran in close. Men either fell to the ground dead, or suffered from a wound, shouting out with pain. An occasional woman who thought she had a chance would run in with the reward fresh in her mind, and find herself falling in the same manner as the rest.

Most of the town was struggling to get in close enough to pop a shot at the group defending themselves as they made their way to the hotel. It was too loud to hear the sounds of Luffy fighting the group that swarmed him – the reward for taking in a Strawhat was significantly higher than that of hauling them in dead, so the effort was being made to bring them in alive.

Those that weren't on the Wanted poster were being shot at without hesitation.

Behind them, Zoro was slicing through bodies with ease; Killer swore that the man was faster than before, moving with hard lunges and neat twists of his body, cutting through fired rounds with such precision that it seemed impossible. He was both amazing and distracting. But Ussop had the same sort of precision, and he didn't even have to aim – it seemed he reloaded and fired off round after round with deadshot accuracy, and reloaded to do it again. He even used the street to his advantage – shot down boarded signs from buildings to fall on men moving on the sidewalk, shot through doors to hit fleeing men, and took out the moving legs of horses, putting them out of their misery before shooting their riders.

Killer wasn't surprised by the desperate actions of those trying to get in close, to get a taste of that bounty. To do so promised these people riches beyond their imagination. The Strawhats were that much of a prize to the government.

Kidd was helping a little further to their left, following Luffy down the street so they could find Nami and the others. He used the magnetic abilities he'd just showed off in the restaurant to cut through men coming after them with guns, axes, knives, and most of their attackers learned quick that, although he was a large man, he had a long reach, and he wasn't as slow as he should have been with his size. Two men at a time flew up from the ground and were repelled into the crowd, where he then unloaded his six-shooters on the bunch before retrieving the spent shells and pushing them into the faces of those that were intending on making a move. That distraction caused him to move in quickly, to 'grab' them by the metal of their gear, lift and push to give Luffy room. As they tried to regroup, Kidd took their weapons from their hands, creating a sizable hand of incredible punching power. This was impossible for most of the street fighters to take in, gaping at the unbelievable sight before being crushed underneath the manipulation.

Luffy himself was going hand to hand with most of them, clearing out a path of broken bodies and unconscious forms that hadn't a chance against his superior combat skills. He could hear the others sweeping after him, and didn't have to look back to see if they were okay. The street full of fallen men spoke for themselves. He pushed aside a startled horse, ducked underneath another and pulled a rider down in the confusion. Then he whirled and punched one man across the jaw; twisting around and kicked another through the window of a nearby shop. He grabbed the shotgun off one fallen fighter and pumped both rounds up in the air, causing horses to startle, nearly tossing their riders. Using the distraction, he pulled one man off his horse, took to the saddle and used the horse to mow down men that tried to swamp him. The horse's hooves pounded over them, kicked out as he pulled hard on the reins. He jumped off the horse with a flying kick to the back of one man's head, flipped over another to grab him by the arm and toss him over shoulder.

He looked up when the loud crack of a rifle cut through three men at once, all of them turning to face Luffy, and another shot took out four, various parts of the body exploding outward. Following that path, he saw that Nami was handling her own with her Perfect Baton, which Ussop had created for her. The ends were outfitted with micro-amps of electricity, which provided more than 300 volts of shocking strength to send grown men flopping around her. All she had to do to generate power was twirl the thing – Luffy didn't understand mechanics, so he didn't care how it worked, just that it did – and she did so with graceful fanfare. Their crowd was significantly lighter, but both of them working together had felled most of them permanently.

Nami looked like a woman out on a stroll in her dress, heavy winter's jacket – but the baton she twirled from hand to hand, swinging outward and using as a pole to vault over fallen opponents while going after more suggested she was more than just a lady. She kept her weapon twirling around her, and Luffy just could not figure out how she did that so easily. The baton never stopped moving, and she didn't look in any fear of her life, or troubled by what was happening.

Law looked indifferent, if not a little impatient by things happening. He fired off a few shots, reloaded the long rifle, and fired again. occasionally he'd strike out with the weapon, using it as a buffer between himself and men that lunged at him with other weapons in hand, and use his own method of twirling the thing to generate enough hitting power to crack skulls and break bones. For someone his size, he left a lot of damaged people behind him – it mattered that he knew exactly where to strike to leave a man writing in excruciating pain.

"You guys are _awesome_!" Luffy shouted at them, pausing in the action as Nami hit the last of her opponents, then stooped low to rummage through their jackets and stuff the inside of her dress of her treasure. So far, her dress's chest and stomach area were rounded with bulging bills, coins and pieces of jewelry.

When he searched for Tony, she caught her breath, and gave a shrill whistle. The boy crawled out from underneath the sidewalk and hurried towards them, a couple of dogs following him anxiously. He looked cheered when he saw Luffy and the others. The strays that followed looked at them cautiously, and Luffy crouched to pet them enthusiastically, greeting them as friends.

"We're headed to the hotel," Law said, reloading. He ducked hastily, Luffy feeling a hard passing breeze that caught the tail of his cap. The dogs quickly scattered as both of them caught sight of the upturned metal sign that advertised hard alcohol and liquor. Law then looked back as Kidd approached with a furious expression. "What the _fuck_."

Kidd shoved Luffy aside and faced Law with a growl, Law putting his rifle up between them as he leaned his head back with disgust. Nami caught sight of him, and strode over, twirling her baton with a similar expression of her own.

" _Nobody_ takes my place," Kidd growled low to Law, who looked puzzled.

"I don't recall being the butt of small penis jokes," he said seriously.

Kidd grabbed him and shook him furiously before catching sight of Nami, and tossing the man aside. Luffy laughed at how easy Kidd did this, Law cursing angrily as he lost his footing over broken bodies of men.

"Aren't we looking a little healthier, today!" he started to say to Nami, arms out wide when she hit him hard with an overhand swing with her baton, the shock causing him to jolt noticeably, conductor straps flashing with near overload as it captured the released electricity. But he hit the dirt as she threw her leg back and began unleashing into him, causing him to curl up with a startled yell. The stray dogs barked in excitement, Tony yelling with mirth as he ran around the fallen man. Luffy laughed at how easy Kidd went down, how he had to cover up from Nami's attack.

"Who said you get to come back? _Who_ said for you to say those things? You fucking asshole, you think that was funny, causing all these rumors?" she roared.

"I said absolutely nothing! But I heard _this_ little creep here began the entire story!" Kidd growled, reaching for Tony once he saw him.

Luffy laughed as the boy evaded his grasp, but the dogs that had been following him barked and snapped at Kidd on the ground, who covered up once more, Nami kicking him again. Luffy caught Tony in his arms, both of them hugging each other briefly before he put him down. Gunfire erupted around them again, and he covered the boy with his body before Law returned fire, shooting through the wagons that their attackers were trying to hide behind. He reloaded and fired multiple times as more men rode in close on their horses.

Reloading hastily, he looked at the others, then turned and continued on towards the hotel without another word. Tony ran after him, the dogs following, and Nami caught up to Luffy, who looked back and saw the rest of their group catching up. The street was covered with dropped men and some women, and it was ridiculously similar to the scene where they'd fought Marines in a similar setting. Only the town wasn't on fire, and it seemed they'd survived the worst of it. The sounds of battle were beginning to quiet down, and most of it were faint moans of men in pain, the occasional crack of gunfire. Horses without riders hurried through, breathing heavily, ears flicking as their hooves hit the cold dirt.

"Ussop will go get the wagon," Luffy told her. "Then we'll raid the stores for supplies before we leave."

Nami exhaled heavily, tucking stray strands of hair behind one ear. "Sounds good! Where's Sabo?"

Luffy pointed him out, the man busy fighting off large mountain men with what looked to be axes. He stopped one blade from hitting him with just a grip of his hand, ripped that weapon away from the man, and slammed a fist with such strength into the man's midsection that the man was pushed right off his feet and slammed through a nearby wall of a saloon. The mountain man's partner looked hesitant as Sabo tossed the axe aside, and moved towards him. The man thought better of it and quickly ran in the other direction, Sabo then hurrying towards the others.

"It's too bad he's engaged," Nami said with a frown, narrowing her eyes. "He won't give me a straight answer about it, though. I hope she dumps his ass because I will pick it up in a heartbeat – "

"Not when you're already spoken for," Kidd told her, brushing himself off.

She hit him again. "Who said _we're_ a couple? I told you before, _it won't work_! I'm too high classed of a woman for you, a lying, no-good thieving piece of shit scum to even _dream_ about having!"

Luffy laughed, hearing Kidd's hurt whine. Zoro caught up, flicking the blade of his sword to the side as he observed the results of their efforts around them. He approved of it with a low nod, Ussop reloading hastily as he reached them. He saw Kidd lying in the dirt, then said to Luffy, "I'm going for the wagon."

" _Now_ we're leaving?" Sabo asked cautiously, dusting himself off, as Heat and Ussop left in a hurry. "This was an unusual event. Someone set them off, alerting them to who we were, and what you're worth."

"I saw a man walking away from the scene, with flyers in hand. He was instigating the entire thing! I felt like I'd seen him, before," Nami admitted, looking down at her stuffed dressed and adjusting the bodice. "He was telling people who we were and - !"

"I saw the same thing! It was a small man, round, in skins and a low slung hat," Sabo said.

"There was another, a woman, who was telling those closest to us about the reward as well," Killer said.

Sabo looked at Luffy. "These people knew what they were doing to stir this town into a frenzy."

Nami rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then placed fist on palm. "The _agents_! It's got to be them! They couldn't do the jobs themselves, without drawing attention to whom they were trying to apprehend, so they did this, instead!"

"It would make sense," Sabo said grimly. "To keep the crowd from wanting the bounty themselves, they'd surely try and overwhelm the few agents to – dang, but that's clever of them!"

"They underestimated how amazing we are together, though," Kidd said with a snort, swatting Nami's bustle covered ass. "See? As a team, we're a force to be reckoned with!"

She knocked him back to the dirt with a swing of her baton, and Sabo turned away with a wince, dusting off his jacket once more. But then Luffy's eyes widened, and he turned and ran towards the hotel, saying nothing. Seeing him take off so suddenly, Sabo looked at Zoro, who began running as well, giving a curse as he withdrew his swords.

Nami saw them moving, and hastily stepped over Kidd to follow.

Before they could reach it, through, three people stepped out from the nearby alleyway, wearing calm expressions. The woman was in a black dress with a black bonnet, wearing a pair of round glasses. Her blond hair was tied up at the nape, and her regal posture, combined with the material of her clothes, suggested a wealthy background. The short round man was definitely Fukuro, looking comfortable in his animals skins and fur, coyote hat pulled low, as he pulled his assault rifle up, adjusting his bandoliers over his chest. The tall, skinny one, Kaku, was the one with the long nose, and his black jacket, black hat and black pants were dusted lightly from the street activity. There was a tall man with them, his hairstyle absurd, but he was large and imposing as he stood nearby. Jyabura joined them moments later, eating what looked to be a fried chicken thigh. All of them stood abreast of each other, preventing them access to the hotel.

The woman pulled a gun from her skirts; it was long barreled, with a slim muzzle and a thick stock, which was emblazoned with roses and vines, a slim chain dangling from the end of it. It was connected to another gun with similar design, which she held at her side. They resembled _nunchaku_.

"This is how far you go, kids," Kaku said grimly, Luffy pausing just a short distance away from them.

Luffy's fists tightened in front of him, the others spreading out abreast of him.

"So, it _was_ you!" he growled. "You couldn't do the job yourselves?"

Kaku shrugged a shoulder, withdrawing his sword from its sheath – around his hips hung a pair of guns with similar designs to the woman's, his own ammo belt slung over his chest. "Well, it gets complicated. We're not proud of our tactics, but they are what they are."

"Not that you should be complaining, criminal," Jyabura commented, crunching down hard on the bone before chewing noisily. "This entire town was riff-raff. Nobody's going to miss anybody, here."

"Make this easier for us," Fukuro suggested, tapping his assault rifle over one shoulder, grinning. "Just surrender. Hey, you guys on the other side – just walk away. Because I'm letting you know now, not all of us will be walking out of this town, today."

"Your rein of terror ends here," the woman said with a slight smile. Her name was Kalifa, and she looked as confident as her male friends, as eager as they were to engage into physical confrontation. Nami gave her a snobby once over, noticing the thinness of her dress skirts compared to hers. She brushed herself off, a bill fluttering from her bodice before she caught it and stuffed it back in. Kalifa narrowed her eyes, both of them openly judging each others' looks.

"You're saying that for yourself," Luffy snapped. "Because all of my friends, _and_ myself – we're _leaving_ after we're done dealing with you. And who knows? Maybe I'll let them go hard on you."

"That's funny," Kaku said with a light smile. "How your friends are the ones doing all the killing with only you instigating that they should. You've never spilt blood before, have you, kid?"

"I'm pretty sure I have…indirectly. But as for killing a man with my bare hands? Not yet," Luffy answered. "But that doesn't mean I won't. If a man needs to be beat with _these_ hands to the death, then I'm sure I won't hold back."

"We're here to take in the Strawhats, to pay for their crimes against the government, and against other souls along the way during your travels. Doflamingo Donquixote was a good example of being needed to answer for his injustice. And yet, he was unfairly tried by your hands, and executed without due cause. You're also wanted for the death of nearly two hundred and sixty five Marines. There is also all the in between crimes throughout the country - for kidnapping a child. For housing a known gambler slash burglar. For safeguarding a serial killer. For excusing the actions of a dangerous sociopath, who is also affiliated with Donquixote's crimes. For hiding a Marine deserter. You will answer to them all, Monkey D. Luffy. Whether or not the occupants of this country agree to it, sympathizing with your group for your 'heroics', for wanting adventure as you demand it, your influence will stop today. You will be brought to justice for your crimes."

"I don't think of them as 'crimes'," Luffy said. "We've never killed _innocent_ people. My friends have all merely defended themselves against those wanting to harm them, and their friends. We're a family. Unfortunately, people think we're a little scary. And they should. We defend ourselves and each other to the death. I'm tired of people like you picking on people like us. All we want is a little peace."

"'Peace'?" Blueno asked carefully. He had his hands folded behind his back as he gave the ragtag group a skeptical look. "You call leaving a trail of bodies behind you 'peace'? Robbing others to pay for your supplies, to fuel your needs, this is 'peace'?"

"Is gambling really that much of a crime?" Nami asked, baton out. "Because it seems like that's what the government does when it comes to the lives of others they're supposed to be governing. You call wiping out hundreds of innocent people 'peace'? Gambling with the possibilities of expanding territories with the intention of wiping out colonies just so others can have their homes 'peace'? I think we have different definitions of 'peace' going on, here."

Blueno frowned at her.

"Funny that people such as yourself, who _clearly_ doesn't belong in this group, calls for 'peace' while standing comfortably with those that dictate how people should die for not conforming to their standards," she added, narrowing her eyes.

" _God_ , that woman makes me feel things I never knew I had," Kidd said to Killer in a loud whisper, elbowing him after.

"Everything we do is for the good of our country," Kaku said forcefully. "Now, you either come with us quietly, willingly, and make it easier for yourselves. Or else – "

"Or else ' _what'_?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"We take you in by force. Really, only one of you is needed. Just _you_. The others, well…it can be shrugged off."

At the sound of movement above and around them, the Strawhats and Kidd and his group looked up. All around them were men dressed in black, holding guns in their direction, standing atop of the roofs of the buildings around them. All of them reacted with surprise and growing dismay as they realized their position, Luffy observing this with a frown. Then his eyes shifted beyond the group standing in front of him, to the hotel.

"Where's Sanji?" he then asked. "If you're going to do away with all of us, then he, Law and Tony should be here with us."

" _Luffy_ \- !" Nami exclaimed.

Jyabura wiped his hands on his pants, Blueno saying nothing. Kaku looked discomforted, and Fukuro and the woman exchanged a look. But none of them made any indications that they were going to answer.

"This is my _only_ request! If you're going to kill us, then do it in a group! Because in that way, if any one of us are missing, that person will come and stop you, or get mad revenge," Luffy said, not budging. "And Sanji is the best of us when it comes to escape. No matter where he is or who's holding him, he'll _always_ escape. His family comes from trappers up north, and they were the best at tracking – you think he isn't like that, either? You can pass right by him on the street, and you'd never know, because he hides himself _that_ good. So! It's important that he's here with us, too, or else you'll just fail at this whole capture me alive, thing."

Nami noticed how nervous the other group looked. How they exchanged looks with each other before looking back at them with a frown.

"Kidd…?" Zoro asked, sheathing his swords.

"I got this," Kidd assured him.

"He's in good hands," Kaku finally answered, uncomfortably.

"Like how he was the other night? When he had _two_ of you guys chasing after him in humongous animal form?" Luffy laughed. "How well did that turn out in the end?"

Jyabura growled, Blueno looking at him with interest. "Is this true?"

"Hey! He was on Kaku's goddamn Arabian! Those things are fast!"

"But you're a _wolf_. And Lucci's a _leopard_. Both of you have a bit of an advantage, here."

"SHUT UP."

Blueno then turned and began walking towards the hotel, causing his friends to look after him with surprise.

"Where are you going? We're supposed to be _here_!" Kaku shouted after them, Luffy's arms tightening over his chest as he looked victorious.

Blueno said nothing in response, but he did hurry into the hotel.

A little rattled, Kaku returned his attention to Luffy and the others. Then frowned hard at the sight of Luffy's rather smug expression.

" _All_ of us need to be here," he repeated. "It only takes one of us to mess up someone else's entire plan."

"Where's the deserter?" Kalifa finally asked, surprised that she now noticed.

"Aw, _shit_ ," Jyabura cursed, pacing anxiously.

Luffy just laughed. "You guys thought you had it all thought out, didn't you?"

"This is actually a glorious moment for all, isn't it?" Sabo commented, stepping out from behind Zoro and Kidd, taking the few steps necessary to stand between the groups. Luffy noticed how the agents looked at him with caution. Sabo removed his hat, fiddling with his hair, and Luffy noticed how nervous Kaku grew. "Imagine this scene – government agents facing off with an infamous group of bandits that made their name as they traveled west, to see the ocean. One, a nameless farm boy who ran away from home at an early age. Abandoned by his mother and father, raised by a militant grandfather – befriending a foreigner whose own village was burned down in flames, his people tortured and executed just so that the invaders could have that space for their own selfish plans. A former whore, who was sold into the sex industry by his own family, whose name makes even the government nervous, because it's not only animal pelts they're selling – but you lot wouldn't know about that too much, would you? A Marine deserter who refused to go into combat against unarmed people, who refused to take sides in a war guaranteed to leave behind massive casualties. A gambler who, on her own, bought her own hometown from the hands of a nasty plantation owner who, not only sold land and produce, but people, too. She not only bought them out, she killed the owner with her own bare hands – freeing her townspeople. But at a tremendous cost. A boy whose family was overcome by tuberculosis, who would have died on his own in the middle of nowhere, but was picked up by this same group of bandits on their way through – adopting him into their group, and providing him with school material, to cultivate his love of medicine. A man who was forced to serve the infamous Donquixote family, by learning how to kill and dismember their rivals and other such threats under the direction of a madman himself. Who also _assisted_ with the removal of this same empire that not only had ties with corrupt Marine agents, but government officials themselves.

"Tell me, sir, how this country does _not_ find sympathy and curiosity from those reading the newspaper, identifying with this group as human beings only trying to survive together against those that feel they are a bigger threat than they actually are? For them to take on all those Marines with their bare hands, to allow the cure of TB to be patented and distributed after the fall of Donquixote, to inspire others for the dream of adventure – how would it feel if the entire country read about how hard the government tried to suppress them using questionable tactics as they ones you're using? The government is only a small faction compared to an uprising of citizens, yes?

"I submitted my latest article to my employer just yesterday, detailing _every_ thing thus far," Sabo added. "He should have it in his hands by now. Once that information is released to the public, how do you think the government will fare to the compassion of those sympathetic to the Strawhat Bandits? Will this country fall back to its roots of allowing its _citizens_ to decide fate, or will it follow Britain's model of dictatorship, and allow for unfair justice onto those that cry out for a fair trial?"

Kaku's face tightened. Jyabura growled low, fists at his side.

"Whose job was it was to make sure _this_ guy didn't make it this far?" Fukuro asked nastily.

"Sabo…?" Luffy asked, looking at his older brother with bewilderment.

"We can't touch them," Kaku answered Fukuro tightly. "On orders. We weren't given any new orders regarding this man."

"Did anyone report that he was with the fucking Strawhats in the first place?"

"No one recognized him from afar," Kalifa said with a grim frown.

"Ugh, did I ever mention how much I _hate_ journalists?" Jyabura growled, teeth bared.

"Our newspaper reaches far and wide, and our articles are distributed throughout more than fifty territories in the west so far," Sabo said. "If my employer doesn't hear from me after today, he's set to release a tell-all I'd submitted to him earlier, detailing everything I'd already known of _you_ lot. All it would take was my death to confirm it. Think of how that information would be received if the public knew what you were truly doing behind scenes?"

"Where's Lucci?" Jyabura snapped at Kaku. "Isn't he supposed to be here to deal with this?"

"I don't know _where_ he is!" Kaku snapped back at him. "He trusted us to do this on our own!"

"We don't need his hand to hold us over everything!" Fukuro growled at Jyabura.

"Is he even here in town?" Kalifa asked incredulously.

"He must be if Blueno left us," Kaku said. "Look! Change of plans. Don't kill them. _Capture_ them. And be careful with that fucking journalist. Don't let him die, or whatever."

"You're a fucking _journalist_?" Kidd asked Sabo incredulously.

"I sure am!" Sabo answered brightly.

"A journalist? So…so _you're_ the one Shanks relies on for news?" Nami asked, mouth agape.

"The very same! Our network is many, far and wide. And, yes, Shanks and I are close. The entire _country_ knows of your exploits," Sabo said cheerily. "All this time I've been in contact with my employer over your adventures. This is why these men happen to leave me alone. The government knows if they interfere with the press, they know it'll affect the public's view of them negatively, as we report what can only be speculated."

"But…you beat people up with us," Luffy stated, looking at him wondrously. "And you're more of a _spy_ than…and you…know practically _everything_ , and – "

"Well, it's not to say that it's easy," Sabo said with a grim frown. "It's not. Getting these stories has been…difficult. And – "

"And Garp lets you do this?"

"Does he have a choice where his son's involved?"

Luffy turned to the others, thumb back. "My dad's his boss."

"YOU KNEW THIS?" Nami, Zoro and Kidd exclaimed incredulously.

"You've said _nothing_ about your dad in all this time!" Nami exclaimed.

"You didn't say _anything_ about having a father!" Zoro stated.

"Garp's the Marine general in the east, isn't he?" Kidd gasped, utterly confused.

"Then how are _you_ related to Luffy?" Nami asked Sabo suspiciously.

"I didn't think it was _that_ important!" Luffy exclaimed, shrugging.

"It's a little complicated, to be honest," Sabo confessed. "You _do_ know that Luffy and Law are related, as well? They share the name of 'D'."

" _NO_!" the four of them, including Luffy himself, exclaimed. Sabo gave Luffy an impatient look, and he grinned at him in response, clearly just messing with him.

"Where _is_ Law, anyway?" Kidd asked.

Sabo looked at them incredulously. "You didn't know that they're related? They _share_ some of the same features! Law's father is related to Dragon – they're _cousins_ , they grew up together. They both lived east and visited each other regularly. But Luffy never met Law because Dragon was already rebelling against his father by the time he was born, and Trafalgar had already entered medical university and began a family. I don't even know if Law had ever met Dragon growing up, considering how the family battle pushed all D's apart. I've tried asking him, but Law is rather intimidating when it comes to his personal history."

Zoro and Nami looked at each other, then at Luffy with consideration. He scowled intensely, helping them put the picture together in their heads. They saw the same messy hairstyle, the same thin eyebrows over the same set of eyes (which varied with each man's age), and the same set of lips, the straight nose and the lanky forms. When both of them were smiling with delight at Sanji's return, they did note the similarity of grins.

They looked quite surprised realizing this, then stunned.

"We're practically _brothers_ , now!" Luffy exclaimed, getting goosebumps. "Ha ha! I never actually thought about it like that!"

Kidd scratched his head. "Now that you've pointed it out, I can see it…"

"We'll compare their looks later, then," Sabo said on a suffering sigh, exasperated that they hadn't even noticed the similarities when he'd noticed it right away. He turned, seeing that the agents were busy consulting each other on their next move. The men on the rooftops were still waiting for word to react, looking at each other with uncertain expressions. He exhaled heavily. "Now that they've switched tactics, it's fair to think that they'll only pull us into custody."

" _You_ guys, but not us," Kidd pointed out. "We're still moving targets."

"There's no redeeming you, no," Sabo agreed. "You are a nefarious character on your own."

Nami looked at Kidd, tittering behind her hand. He frowned at her.

All of them prepared themselves as they saw movement. Kaku was waving at those on the rooftop to hold them, and Luffy looked over at them with a frown. Then beyond them, to the hotel. The agents began moving forward, weapons at ready, aiming to follow through with their 'capture alive' intention. With a frown, Luffy listened for any sign of activity from the building. He looked at all the windows. Then dropped his fist into his palm.

" _Right_. It's been decided, then," he said.

"What? What are we doing?" Nami asked, baton at ready, Sabo standing close to her with his fists curled.

"We're going to get Sanji and get out of here."

"We've got sort of an obstacle course to get through," Sabo said with hesitation, noting the incoming agents and the men posted on the roof, ready to fire down on them.

Luffy gave him an impatient look. "Well, don't stand around crying about it. Hit the strongest one and then use him to make the rest of them listen!"

Sabo looked moments from slapping him.

Luffy removed his jacket, Nami catching it. "Let me show you how. Zoro, watch my back, buddy."

Zoro nodded, moving a couple of steps behind him.

"Oh, boy," Nami muttered, taking a few steps back, slipping her arms through Luffy's jacket. "Kidd, I need a way out."

"Since that's the _first_ time you ever asked me of anything, I'll give it to you for free," he said, moving into a lunge as she started running, and the other two men started advancing towards the agents.

: :

Coming out of the head pounding haze of forced unconsciousness, the first thing that came to Sanji's mind was that he was under attack. There was a man between his legs, talking to him – a jumble of mushy sounds that didn't rightly form into words that his thoughts couldn't sort out fast enough – and he was under severe threat. So he lashed out immediately, instinctive fear taking over common sense and calm instinct. All his body could do was fight, and fight _hard_ to get away from the thing that scared him the most, and that was the large man's body over his.

Fight or flight instinct took to _flight_ , and he raked his nails over the man's face, and kicked and thrashed and flailed his arms, screaming all at the same time. Nothing rational came to mind – all that he and his body needed to do was escape. His feet kicked, and he twisted from side to side. He slapped, hit and scratched, and took a much needed breath to scream threats, curses and furious shouts in both languages. When he felt the vise-like grip of the man's fingers around his feet, pulling him back, capturing his legs, Sanji pulled up into a situp and leaned forward to bite, headbutt, scratch and maim with all fingers.

It was like trying to settle a cat after submerging it – Lucci was so taken back by this furious _inhuman_ thrashing that at first he put away his dick to keep it from being kicked into the wall, then grabbed the limbs that hurt him the most. Once he had those feet under his control, he did not expect Candy to sit up and start gnawing on his face like some damn badger.

He managed to get an arm between them and used all his weight and force to get Candy's teeth away from him. Blood splattered over both of them, and Candy was still scraping her nails down the sides of his face, _still_ kicking, _still_ scooting across the wooden floor from him. There was nothing in her that looked like the cool, poised Candy at Ivankov's.

She was releasing terrible screams, like Lucci was killing her – he _wanted_ to, just to stop that crazy sound. He reached in to wrap his fingers around her neck, gritting his teeth at the feel of nails over his cheek, then Candy was leaning in to bite him again, ripping a sizable chunk from the bandages around his burnt arm. It wasn't even a calculated movement – just pure instinct to fight whatever was closest to her. Feeling those teeth sink into healing skin caused Lucci to shout out loud, and this time, instead of trying to restrain her, he started swinging. Candy kicked and swung back, scooting back from him, and she was having trouble doing it. Her mind was in such panic that she could not fathom why movement was hard for her – she kept placing too much weight down on her dress, stopping herself, and she was kicking more at the material around her legs than she was with him, and their limbs kept getting entangled between them –

Finally Lucci was on his feet and he dumped himself over her, both of them fighting, and she just would not stop _screaming_ at him. He managed to get his hands to her face, but she bit him before he could settle his weight, and she had handfuls of his hair and was yanking fiercely, trying to pull his face towards her so she could bite him – it felt like he was in a fight with Jyabura, teeth snapping inches from his nose.

He started hammer fisting towards her face, but she was still kicking, creating space between them, and once he caught hold of one arm, she twisted violently into the other direction, allowing him to tackle her from the side. She sucked in a deep breath and howled so fiercely with fear and pain that his ears rung. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his weight down on her, pinning one leg, then pulling both arms behind her. Somehow, her damaged leg came between him, pushing him up – she twisted so fiercely that she must've overstretched her shoulder in that locked position, but she managed to kick him off. Once she had the space she needed, she crawled away from him, effectively putting distance between them. She sucked in breath, nearly hyperventilating as she crawled underneath the bed, mindlessly searching for escape.

Lucci stood slowly from the floor, watching those fierce, animal-like eyes glare up at him from underneath the bed. He was dripping with blood, and sweating heavily, his hair a mess. He was incredulous with how fierce the situation had changed. This person glaring at him was not Candy nor Sanji – it was some scared animal, and he wasn't sure how to take it. He'd seen plenty of humans panic before, but this – he had no idea how to handle it.

He wiped his face, glaring at his bloodied hand. Now that he was able to settle down a little, he felt the slow throb of pain there, felt the gouges nails had caused in his skin. The teeth marks were going to scar, that was for sure. He exhaled heavily, flicking his hand away.

Then he wagged a finger at the frightened woman. "Naughty _naughty_. That hurt. I'm afraid I can't forgive you too much for this one."

" _Stay away from me_!"

"Look, after all the effort I put into making you pretty, and you do this to me," he said, walking to crouch near the bed, seeing her push away with a slow exhale, mindlessly fearful of him. "I usually enjoy pain with my meals, but this is going to leave a mark. Now, when I leave here, I'll have to show off what you've done to me. And I'll no doubt hear the worst of it from my peers. 'Oh? A woman did this to you?' they'll say, and I'd feel shame faced that, _yes_ , a woman used me for her scratching post. Come on out, now, don't make me chase you. Because once I catch you, I won't be nice about it. I'm willing to forgive you just once."

"Fuck you!"

Lucci held his finger up in warning. "Use your woman voice – not the man's. I don't like the mannish side of you."

For a moment, her eyes rounded slightly, and she started to realize that she wasn't who she was when he'd beaten her earlier. He watched with amusement as she touched her wig, touched her dress, and he used that moment to pull up and toss the entire bed frame away from her, revealing her underneath. She was off the floor in moments, and he tackled her hard against the wall once she made to kick, both of them flying through to the other side, slamming into a dresser, rolling over Nami's and the boys' things.

Candy kicked and flailed to get away, and he gave short chase, grabbing her around the waist. She screamed with utter rage, turning to kick awkwardly at him, then scratch her nails into his skin. This caused him to trip as he intended on making his way to the bed.

"I've never had to work so hard for a fucking meal in my life!" he cursed savagely as he threw her on the bed, holding onto her dress, capturing an arm. Once he was on her again, her body twisted so that he couldn't mount her, but he laughed in delight as she struggled.

 _Something_ told him to move, and he moved quickly. Not even moments later, the crack of the rifle caused wood splinters to fly, and Candy ducked low, rolling away from the bed as he pushed to his feet. He quickly ducked to the side as shot after shot followed him, and it was his own faster prowess that kept him from being hit. He kicked the bed up and out in the direction the shooting was coming from, the mattress covering the holes in the wall near the door, preventing Law from looking in. Lucci then reached over and grabbed her, putting her into a chokehold in front of him, crouching so that he was using her as a shield.

Moments passed, but his excellent hearing told him that it was only because Law was reloading. Lucci felt Candy's pulse beating furiously as her primal instincts to fight began to leave her. She tensed in his grasp, and actively tried to slow her breath, thoughts coming back to order.

"I will shoot him to hit you," Law warned him from behind the door. "So hiding behind him isn't your best idea."

"… _What_?"

Lucci didn't think Law would do so, considering just how tender and loving he was of Sanji when it was just them. But he felt a little apprehension by how Candy stiffened in his grasp, sounding surprised.

"I don't think challenging me is your best idea," Lucci retorted. "You're at a disadvantage."

"How so?"

"First off, I will use him to take the bullet. Then, as he lies here clinging to life because of you, that kid you're trying to hide next to you will be next so you both can witness what I can do to human flesh. After _that,_ I will slaughter Blackleg with as much pain as possible, so you can blame yourself for their deaths on your way to hell. Then _you_ die. You see what I mean?"

"I think you're giving yourself too much credit."

The door was kicked in at that moment, and Candy's eyes widened, breath sucking in hard as horror and panic hit her. In Law's hand was Tony, who looked just as fearful as she did, and without hesitation, he was throwing the boy at them, before lifting his rifle against his shoulder to shoot.


	10. Part Ten

**Moony-F: Thank you! I'm glad you read and liked it! It's been a joy(?) to write this series. I love westerns, and I love OP, and i love hideously damaged characters. AND ACTION! Hope you enjoy the rest of it :D**

 **SiberianRS: I know, it was almost done, so i just posted. I still will disappear, through - but i'm a known liar. I think Jyabura will be okay with his chicken bones - he's a good boy. Haha! I love spongebob references! Not only do i make a lot of disney ones, but i also make those, as well :p Don't worry, i'm not put off - i like to hear what people think of the characters I borrowed :D**

 **onto the next chapter!**

 **Part Ten**

Lucci glanced at the boy flying at them. No sooner had he recognized the child in motion, he felt Candy dropping dead weight in his arm, and in that second, Lucci felt the instinct to grab the free bait coming at him, but also felt similar strength to hold Candy close so he wouldn't lose her. Not even a moment after recognizing this split second action, barking dogs filled the room, and he looked at the strays with a startled reaction, feline instinct causing him immense alarm. The dogs barked at him ferociously, smelling something off about him, as most animals did with him and Jyabura.

In that split second, Candy lunged towards Tony, and Lucci made to yank him back, but the moment allowed Law to fire once, then a second time, shifting just slightly to the right. He did hit her – Lucci felt the jerk of her body as pain made her stiffen, but in that reaction, it allowed Law to hit _him_ with the second shot, and Lucci felt his arm jerk back as the bullet sliced right through. Before he could make a sound, Lucci was out of that room before he could become a bigger target. He released a snarl of pain and anger as he clutched that bleeding part of him, incredulous that the chance the other man had taken had actually resulted in him being hurt.

Sanji caught Tony before he could hit the floor, and he curled around the boy protectively as the dogs barked anxiously, the animals moving after the man that made his escape through the hole in the wall. Tony released a loud cry of indignant cursing, Sanji lifting his head to look over at Law with incredulous action. He touched his side, where the burn of the passing bullet sliced right through the material of his dress, and caused skin to bleed.

" _Fucking asshole_!" he shouted at the man that ignored them both, intending on giving chase to the man that had made his way to their room.

"You're still alive, you're fine," Law told him, rifle at ready as one of the dogs returned, wagging its tail briefly as it wandered away from the room, sniffing for Tony.

"I can't believe you _shot me_!"

"I didn't shoot you, you're fine. Get up. Focus. You need to protect that boy, now."

Feeling Tony shift in his arms, Sanji realized his mind wasn't so cloudy, anymore. His earlier distress had left him feeling the loss of adrenaline – weak and shaky – and his throat felt sore from all his screaming and shouting. His heart rate had returned to normal. After it all, he could think clearly; waking up like that was a terrible place to find himself. Now that he felt safe, he looked down at himself, dismayed at the strange clothing on him.

Tony was staring at him with such bewilderment that Sanji felt mortified. He ripped the wig from his head and tossed it as Law investigated the break in the wall, the other stray dog returning, looking up at him cautiously. Seeing the animals were calm, he peeked in through the hole, seeing that Lucci had abandoned it. He saw blood on the floor leading out, and relaxed slightly.

Then he looked back at Sanji with a carefully held expression, seeing that the man was dressed in a yellow gown with too much chiffon and ruffles. He wore thick makeup on his face. The wig was a orange-yellow color, clashing with the material of the dress. There was a blood stain in the front, but it wasn't Sanji's. He wasn't sure what to say about the situation; only that he had been able to interrupt something terrible. The scene at the mine hit him at that moment, walking into that cavern and seeing what those men were doing to Sanji; but it wasn't this scene. From the sounds and looks of it, Sanji had managed to prevent that. Law just wasn't sure what to make of Sanji dressed in that fashion, unable to fathom any scene that led to this point. He wasn't sure if he were administer some sort of comfort while Sanji put himself back together – noticeably shaking as he stood, examining his side – or if he should even say anything.

So he _didn't_ say anything, reloading his rifle now that they had the time, then listening for any sounds that indicated what was happening outside. He couldn't hear anything at this point, so he moved to the window. Then realized he was hearing heavy footfalls coming their way.

Sanji grabbed Tony, the dogs moving with him, Tony trying to comfort them by patting their heads, letting them lick his fingers with anxious wags of their tails. "That's Blueno. I recognize those footsteps."

Law looked at him with question, then realized it was an enemy that made Sanji react that way. Both of them made their way back to their room, and Sanji hastily grabbed his discarded clothes from the floor, Tony holding them for him. The room was a mess – which was comforting because it was indicative that Sanji had fought the other man the entire time. Law looked at him again, noticing that he was favoring his right arm – it looked as if he couldn't quite hold weight with it.

The footfalls stopped, and Sanji stopped moving, holding his breath. From his actions alone, Law could tell the man was still fighting those demons of his. Fear made him into a completely different man. Then he noticed that the dogs that had been following Tony this entire time were tense as well, watching the door. Their ears perked, they followed a strange sound from the hallway – it was a slithering sort of motion, and their fur bristled. One of them whined uncomfortably, backing up against the other, the other baring its teeth before pacing in a fearful manner. Tony sensed their discomfort and Sanji's fear, and held onto the man tightly, holding his breath as his wide eyes grew even bigger, trying to take everything in at once.

All the tension made Law feel stiff, listening to that odd movement from the hall, a hiss escaping something unseen. The dogs were immediately reacting with whines and anxious barking; one of them peed on the floor.

"He _changed_ ," Sanji said curtly. "He's the cat. The beast. He's changed, he's going to - !"

"Hey."

Sanji looked at him, looking tense and fearful, Tony looking at Law as well, pale as a ghost and hugging his neck tightly.

"Get your head back on," Law told him sternly. "If you can't fight like a goddamn man, then be a good woman and get Tony out of here."

Sanji stared at him in silence for a few moments, then slapped him so hard that his hat flew off, the sound of the impact ringing out in the tense silence. Tony's mouth dropped into an 'o', eyes huge. " _Fuck you_! You fucking _shot_ me, then you fucking talk to me like that?"

"I didn't shoot you."

"Fuck you talking to, like that, then, huh?"

Law shrugged a thin shoulder, noting that the fear was gone from the man's face, replaced with incredulous anger and insult, and he was everything opposite of the scared man-creature from earlier. He could always count on the man's temper to keep him functional, his control whip thin when it came to keeping himself in check. He rubbed the point of the impact with a sullen frown, having not expected to be _slapped_.

Sanji glared at the door, wincing as he rubbed his palm on his hip, trying to soothe the sting. Tony looked at both of them with examination, then all of them tensed at the sound of floorboards shifting under weight. Law lifted his rifle, focused on where the sounds met, the dogs barking fiercely, pacing over each other. Sanji looked at them, seeing that they were medium sized animals – mutts. Tony always had a way with animals, wanting to adopt every single one that crossed their path along their travels.

From their side, from Nami's room, Blueno forced his way in. At the exact same time, the door was forced open, and Law reacted with a sharp suck of air at the size of the animal lunging at him. He fired once before Blueno tackled him into the opposite wall, the crack of the rifle going off, the animal jerking out of its path, slamming into both of them. All hell broke loose at that point.

The dogs yelped and barked, running around them, and Sanji dropped Tony because Lucci in cat form was bigger than both men, and Blueno had managed to push Law's rifle down so he couldn't shoot him. Somehow, Law avoided having his head bitten off by the cat that used Blueno's back to stand on, and Blueno gave a sharp yell, retracting back, clutching his wrist. At that split second, Sanji grabbed the cat's tail and yanked with all his weight and force to get him away from Law. Law, once he had the room to move, lowered his rifle to his side as he switched hold on the knife he used on Blueno, and slashed upwards towards the leopard's mouth as it made to chomp down on him. The animal screamed, whirling up and away, blood splattering over Law as Law pushed away from the wall, leveraging his rifle up on his hip and firing at him. Both Lucci and Sanji had to move hastily to avoid being shot – Blueno kicked out to Law, who caught himself against the wall, turning to fire at him in the same manner.

"That's two!" Blueno shouted out, lunging forward to attack again, confident that the make of the weapon allowed only two fired rounds. Law waited until he had both hands on his rifle and hit the trigger again, Lucci attacking one of the dogs that lunged at him. Tony screamed as the animal was ripped apart in front of them, Sanji grabbing the boy and hastily moving away from the leopard. All their ears rung as the long rifle went off again, and Blueno stumbled with a curse, barely managing to elude full impact from the bullet. Lucci turned from the gore he'd caused, then leapt at Law.

Law quickly whirled away from the wall, using the stock of his rifle to hit the animal over the snout, then slid a foot to the side to wind up with another swing, catching the animal across the face. Once he cleared some distance between them, Lucci catching himself in mid-stumble, whirling around to prepare to lunge again, Blueno took that moment to advance, drawing Law's attention his way. He saw the movement from the corner of his eye, slid his right foot forward into a deep lunge underneath the man, long rifle sweeping up into Blueno's gut. Another slide of his foot and a shift of body weight, and he had the man maneuvered that Lucci hit Blueno first in his attack. Law shifted out from underneath the two moments later, and fired at them again, catching the bigger man in the back. Lucci used his partner as a launching pad to jump at him, and Law put his rifle up between them, shoving the long barrel up into those teeth before they could catch him.

The weight of the animal forced him back, and he would've lost his footing if Sanji didn't slam up against him as support, Lucci then lifting his head and moving in again, pushing against them both with his paws up against Law's shoulders. Law jerked his head back, but put the long rifle up against his throat, pushing back as Sanji shifted position, holding onto Law as he ducked down against the length of the man's thigh and threw up his back leg in a difficult scorpion kick that knocked the flat of his foot up against the animal's nostrils.

Lucci pulled away with a harsh sneeze and a low growl, and Sanji ducked and jerked back once Law had the freedom to whirl his rifle up and over his head to bat the stock of his weapon into the side of the animal's head, causing it to fly side first into the floor. Blueno attacked once he had the opening, and threw punch after punch at Law, who evaded him quickly, switching hand grips on his rifle to allow him to lift up and catch those worn knuckles on the metal of his weapon.

Once Blueno started hitting it, he retracted his fists and then kicked out, Law side stepping ever so slightly, not losing space between them. It took a single whip of his rifle to switch hands again, falling over one shoulder to the next, until he hit Blueno hard into the ribs, as if swinging for a homerun. Blueno jerked to the side with the impact, moved to take a step, but took Sanji's shin to the back of his knee. Once he caught that kick, Law had generated enough strength and force into another swing of his rifle that he caught Blueno upside the chin with the stock of it, knocking the man completely off his feet and into the window. It shattered, and he had to catch himself as Lucci recovered and moved to lunge at them both.

He caught a hard force to the right, and looked over with a vicious snarl as Tony lowered his slingshot, rock falling from his grasp once he realized he had the animal's attention. Sanji was quick to grab the boy, and Law stepped in front of them both, reloading hastily. The low growl that left Lucci made the remaining dog bark ferociously from the other room, leaping through the hole in the wall to bark at him up front. Lucci screamed at it with impatience, the dog disappearing once more, barking insanely from the safety of the space between them. He looked once more at the two men and the boy, moving in a wide circle away from Blueno, who recovered as he pulled himself from the frame of the window.

The leopard crouched, then darted through the hole in the wall, the dog screaming moments later.

"He's going to come up from behind," Sanji said fearfully, so Law elbowed him to start moving. Sanji moved out the door, looking to the right to make sure the cat didn't appear, then moved down the hall. Moments later, Law followed, rifle up, Blueno following him. Lucci was no where to be seen. Sanji held Tony tight with one arm, Tony reloading his slingshot with the rock he had in hand. As Sanji hit the stairway, he paused with a startled curse, seeing that most of it had been forcefully downed from the first floor.

"We have to jump!" Sanji said, tentative about the action.

Blueno lunged, Law holding off on firing as the man stepped impossibly fast from side to side. He pulled the barrel up to catch the first fist, forced the metal hard over that wrist to knock it to the side, shifting his head to the right to avoid the other fist, and stepped in between his legs, lowering into a crouch. Sweeping his other leg out, he shifted underneath one of his own arms and was full up against the larger man. All it took was a hard jerk of his arms, and he had the man toppling over him with a startled grunt.

Law pinned him to the floor with a hard knee to the throat, using the butt of his rifle to hit him repeatedly in the face. Blueno took two of the hard impacts before kicking up and over, forcing Law off him. Sanji looked back, realizing that they were separated from each other. He put Tony down as Blueno faced Law, and kicked the man's knees in from behind, just enough to knock him down. Law used his rifle to vault over him, stepping down on one foot and then whirling around with a hard sweep of his weapon to knock Blueno right into the wall nearest him. His head slammed through the wood with a forceful crack as Sanji picked Tony up again and made to jump.

Law caught him quickly as Lucci appeared from below, waiting for them to fall down. Sanji jerked back, then reacted with a startled shout as the beast used the nearby pillar to start climbing towards them. Law moved to shoot him when Blueno appeared from behind them, driving a fist right up the back of his head. He lost hold of his rifle, flying through the air to the first floor as Sanji reacted with startled surprise, Tony screaming in fear as Blueno then plowed his elbow into Sanji's face, knocking his head up against the wall.

Lucci leapt away from the wall, lunging towards the man that hit the floor nearest him. Law recovered quickly, arm out as the beast shifted over him, claws out. It was all he could do to keep the animal from biting him, claws sinking into his skin to hold him in place. He gave an involuntary shout of pain as those things pierced him, his fingers curled up and around Lucci's lower jaw, thumb and fingers just barely clutching those lower teeth, to have enough control to push that big head away every time it lowered itself to bite him. The cat snarled and growled, the vibration seemingly coming from its snout, claws sinking in deeply as all its weight kept Law pinned to the floor. He was so focused on trying to keep Law pinned that he didn't notice that he was only using one hand to fend him off, the other curled behind him, grabbing the other knife he had clipped to the back of his belt.

He managed to plunge his bowie knife up into the cat's ribcage, and the scream it emitted rang over all of them. He twisted it to the side, making sure the teeth caught, then drew it out deliberately slow. Lucci pulled away, effectively escaping the knife's length, screaming with distress, splattering blood on the floor. Law winced as he sat up, holding onto his midsection, feeling the sharp pain of the animals' claws in his flesh. Lucci snarled and growled at him, looking murderous for an animal.

Then he shifted into man form, naked, breathing heavily as he held a hand just underneath his ribcage. He bled profusely over his well muscled form. He bared his teeth, rage darkening his features as Law slowly climbed to his feet, still holding onto the knife. Lucci's eyes left him and looked up to where Blueno was crouched, having Sanji in a restrictive hold. Blood sputtered over his lips and chin as Lucci looked at Law with a smirk.

Law saw what he was looking at, then looked back at Lucci. "You're going to let them treat Tony the way they treat you?" he asked, but he wasn't talking to Lucci. "Once Zoro hears how you let them get a hold of you – "

"Fuck you, you fucking jerk! You fucking asshole, you fucking shoot me, and - !"

Law looked at Lucci with a slight smile, holding the bowie knife securely in one hand. "If I take that fur from you, will I be taking human skin, or fur?"

Lucci frowned at him, just a little bothered by the curiosity on the other man's face. He removed his hand, breathing tightly. The wound made it difficult to breathe, and before he could make a move, he heard the kid screaming with fear, and he looked away from Law for that split second to see Sanji pull Blueno down onto the floor behind them. That second allowed Law to lunge at him, and Lucci moved quickly to avoid that knife. He extended the claws of his nails, feeling his fingers shift to accommodate the unnatural action, and used them to swing and swipe at the other man. Once he had enough space between them, Law said, "Get to a safe place, Tony."

"I got it from up here!" the boy assured him, loading his slingshot and hitting Blueno with it. He had a pocketful of rocks, and he intended on using all of them as Blueno rubbed his head. Once he looked up to glare at the boy, Tony hit him again, catching him just below the eye. This allowed Sanji to kick Blueno, putting all his weight into that wounded leg of his and sending the man stumbling to the left.

Lucci lunged at Law again, swiping over and over, looking for an opening. Law used his knife to block his actions, kicking out once Lucci came too close, and both of them faced each other pensively, waiting for movement from the other man. Law shifted hold on his knife, crouching slightly, pulling out another knife from his boot. At this point, Lucci was favoring the arm that Law had shot previously, and the teeth marks on his face from Sanji's earlier fight was glaringly gruesome. He was covered in blood from the upper torso down, and his hair was soaked with it, so every movement he made, he ended up flicking it everywhere.

He looked like some half monster, his fingers lengthy to accommodate those ugly claws of his. He stalked the floor with a slight hiss, eyebrows pulled together with a vicious glare in Law's direction. He didn't seem to give his naked form another thought, glaring at him with such ferocity that Law returned the glare as well, hoping that none of the other man's junk touched him in any way.

Behind them, the fight between the other two men caused Tony to yell encouragement, shooting whenever he could. Lucci glanced in that direction, allowing Law to lunge towards him. Lucci quickly fended off the two knives coming at him, sweeping from side to side, the pair of them moving from the scene behind them. Lucci kicked out, shifted, and then swiped, trying to get some part of the other man. Law was a stringy fellow, but he was frustratingly fast, and those knives of his were sharp, and he used both of them just as easily as he did with his long rifle.

He caught Lucci's claws with a flick of his knife, then drove the tip of his boot into his shin, causing Lucci to stumble back with a hiss of pain. He lunged in to swing a hand overhead, then caught Law with a knee. Once he heard the harsh exhale of air from him, Lucci jumped at him, shifting form. Law twisted hard to face him, dropping his boot knife to the floor and plowing the bowie knife deep into his chest. Lucci couldn't help but scream as the blade cut in – he heard the man laughing maniacally as he grabbed a handful of Lucci's flesh and fur, twisting, and suddenly Lucci yanked away, screaming as pain registered throughout his body.

When they separated, Lucci breathing harshly as his blood splattered to the floor, he realized Law was holding up a chunk of his flesh and fur. He rolled over onto his stomach, examining the piece, before he rose to his knees.

"It doesn't change back, does it?" he asked, rising to his feet. He looked towards Lucci with a somewhat deranged expression as he dropped the mass to the floor. "Now, let me see something else. No, really, this is fascinating. When you turn human, where on you will you be missing this? Change _back_."

Lucci growled deep in his chest, feeling the slight waver of focus. Teeth bared, he watched as the man retrieved his rifle, reloading it. He was covered in as much blood as Lucci, but he looked quite comfortable with it. When he looked at the man, it wasn't with the same expression as earlier – he looked as if he were more interested in the possibilities of exploring his own curiosity than anything else. Lucci had a feeling if he ended up under that man's hands again, Law was going to take him apart, much like how he used to do to other men under Doflamingo's guidance.

His blood dripped to the floor, and he crouched low, tail flicking. Blueno was fighting Sanji in the background, but while the man had a clear advantage over the other – Sanji still in the dress, still weakened with his leg and arm out of commission – Lucci felt he couldn't stick around any longer. He was losing too much blood.

He was incredulous – one Strawhat had burned him at the risk of causing himself grave injury, another had succeeded in stabbing him enough to want to to take him apart for study.

He realized Law was aiming to shoot at him, and it took everything Lucci had to speed away from those blasts.

"HOLD STILL!" Law shouted at him, then laughed as he reloaded. He started charging after him, and Lucci snarled, then growled, looking for an escape route. When Law set himself to shoot at him again, Lucci took the nearest corridor, hearing the man run after him. Every movement required intense concentration – the missing part of him alerted him that it needed care. His arm felt weak. His entire _body_ felt weak. Growling, he burst out from a nearby window, hitting the ground. His legs gave out as he landed, and his very presence startled some men nearby.

Once he recognized them as Ussop and one of Kidd's crew, he snarled at them. They screamed in shock and awe of his appearance. Law wasn't that far behind him, knowing that he had a chance to take Lucci down, and once they saw him crawling out the window after him, both of them gave startled shouts again, concerned over the amount of blood he was wearing.

The horses on the wagon reared in fright upon Lucci's appearance, and the horse carrying Kidd's crew member ran for safety, his rider hollering in surprise. Law set himself and fired after Lucci, giving chase as the huge cat took to escape.

Not even moments later, Blueno burst out from the locked back door, sending wood flying. He looked after his teammate in concern, then caught sight of Law resetting himself to shoot at him. Seeing that Ussop was fumbling with his gun, knowing the Marine deserter's background as a sniper, Blueno ran back into the hotel, knowing he was outnumbered. Sanji caught sight of him making his way to the back hallway, but didn't give chase once he heard Ussop's shout of alarm towards Law. He ran from that doorway to go after Tony, to change out of the clothes Lucci had forced him into.

Once up on the second floor, Tony found him, breathless as he held his slingshot at ready. Sanji changed out of the ruined dress, slipping and sliding into his own clothes, favoring his damaged limbs. Then he grabbed all of their material things, hurrying from their room to the damaged stairway, tossing them all to the floor below. While he did this, Tony crouched on the floor, sniffling at the sight of the dogs that had been loyal to him for this moment. When Sanji had emptied all of their rooms of their suitcases, he swept Tony up in his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Are you hurt in any way?" Sanji asked him, looking at him closely.

"No. Just sad," Tony answered, gesturing at the dogs' remains. He wiped his face. "Are you?"

"I'll be okay."

"Why were you dressed like a girl?" Tony asked him curiously, reaching between them to wipe off some blood and blush from his face. Embarrassed and shamed-faced, Sanji shook his head, unable to explain – not _wanting_ to explain. Tony held his face between both hands, looking at him sternly. "Did that man hurt you? Luffy's going to ask, you know."

"And I'll tell him the same thing I'm going tell you. I'm _fine_. Do we have everything?"

"Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I don't know what they're talking about, Sanji," Tony told him impatiently. "I didn't know men liked that of other men. For them to dress like women. How come they just don't like women, then?"

"Hush now, okay? No more. Maybe when you're older, I'll explain – "

"But I want to know now!"

"Promise me one thing, okay? I really need you to promise me something, Tony."

"What?" Tony asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't tell the others I was dressed like that. I...I'm embarrassed. Okay?"

Tony frowned because he had intended on telling everyone that Sanji was found this way, but the way the man looked at him made him feel bad for wanting to. He truly felt that this time, Sanji couldn't handle the teasing. Which lead to more suspicion in that something bad had happened - Tony didn't understand adult situations like this, but he knew enough of Sanji's emotions to know that this one needed to be kept from the others.

So he nodded, and Sanji smiled at him, leaning over to kiss his forehead, ruffle his hair. It reminded Tony of his mother, sometimes, when Sanji treated him this way. It only made him want to win his approval that much more - out of all of them, Sanji was the one to mother him the most.

"Let's get out of here, go find the others," Sanji said, putting him down hastily. He took a few minutes to wash his face, wiping away the garish makeup that Lucci had colored him with. He felt sick and ashamed as he looked at himself in the mirror, feeling shaky over what could have happened. Over what _had_.

Then he made his way back to the stairway, where Ussop was quickly loading his arms up with their things, loading the wagon. Heat was helping him. Law had returned with a sullen expression, examining the chunk he'd taken from Lucci with a push of his boot. Sanji jumped down with Tony, releasing a grunt at the hard impact. He set the boy down on the floor, Tony running off to help Ussop and Heat load the wagon. Then Sanji charged at Law, who was cleaning off his knife. He ducked the swing of Sanji's hand, then avoided the following kick with a startled expression.

"You _fuck_! You reckless piece of shit! How could you do that to Tony, put him in danger that way?" Sanji snarled, Law pushing him away impatiently. "That man could've killed him! You deliberately put him into danger, you careless, unfeeling _fuck_!"

Law grabbed his arms and then shoved him hard against the nearby wall. He gave him an incredulous expression for attacking him in this manner, looking at him as if Sanji had just lost his mind. "First, hands off. Don't come at me like that. It so happens that _you_ should be thanking me. I stopped it, didn't I?"

Sanji grabbed his bloodied shirt and shook him angrily before Law pushed him again just to get him to release him. "You could've hurt him with your stupid stunt - !"

"The only person you should be mad at is either yourself or that sick fuck for putting you in that situation in the first place!"

It was the wrong thing to say, because moments before Law could try to fix the wording of his statement, Sanji blew up on him. He used all limbs to attack him, cursing furiously, Ussop running into this sight with a confused expression. He moved to break it up with a tentative call, but Law reassured him with a wave of his hand that it was all right. Uncertain, Ussop watched as Law easily twisted Sanji's hurt arm behind him, pain immediately putting the man to the floor with a hissing curse.

" _Stop_. You're being irrational. Things worked out fine, _you're_ fine. Get your shit together, let's go check on the others to see if they need help."

"You do that again, you fucking asshole - !"

"Why are you threatening me like this?" Law asked, shoving him away from him. "Why the fuck are you attacking me like this? What is wrong with you?"

Sanji couldn't answer at the moment, overstressed and overwhelmed by everything that had happened. He felt he wasn't fully put together just yet, and was still running off earlier emotions. He shook his head because he couldn't quite answer, couldn't say all this. He sat there, facing away from him, rubbing at his hurt shoulder, wondering why it hurt in the first place.

Ussop recognized that his friend was coming down emotionally, and gave Law a sympathetic shrug. Tony and Heat saw this, and Ussop ushered them away, explaining that Sanji was only venting over the heat of the situation. Tony looked concerned, but he helped the two men continue loading the wagon as Law lowered himself to a crouch next to Sanji, hand on the back of his neck.

"I'm just… _frustrated_!" Sanji confessed low, glaring at the floor.

"Okay. But don't take it out on me."

" _Why not_?"

"Because it's wrong, I'm not the one you should be angry with. Sort it out within yourself."

Sanji didn't know where to start. He felt his face redden with building emotions, fingers curled into fists, but all that was rampant was all the shame, humiliation, terror, anger and frustration that started and ended with Lucci. He couldn't quite focus on one thing. It just felt better releasing these things with anger on someone closest, and he knew it was wrong. He looked at Law, feeling how tight his throat was, shaking his head to signal that he didn't know how to talk of it.

Law reached in to hold him, on his knees before him, and Sanji hugged him back, burying his face against his neck. All these things came up to his chest, and he wanted to speak of them, give apologies but nothing came out. He hugged Law tightly, smelling blood, sweat and animal fur on the other man, and he didn't care if it came off on him. Just feeling the other man against him, the strength of his arms on him, the feel of his heart beating steadily against his made Sanji feel overwhelmed with emotion.

Seeing that he wasn't going to be put back together anytime soon, Law awkwardly stood. With a grunt of effort, he hefted the man up with one arm, carrying him gently towards the wagon as Sanji kept his face hidden, clinging to him tightly. He figured that Sanji's internal battles were going to be long ones after this.

It was odd how two broken people could find each other the way they had, and end up relying on each other for strengths that each of them lacked. Even stranger still, for him, that Sanji trusted and relied on him when he felt completely lacking as a person to give such things to another.

: :

The battle on the street ended when Jyabura heard the familiar sawing sound Lucci made when he was signaling for a retreat. It still made him look up with a bewildered sound, dropping the man he had in his mouth to the ground. Licking blood from his teeth, his ears flicked back. Right after that was Blueno's shrill whistle, and the others looked surprised.

They'd only heard this signal once before; retreat was rare for them.

He leaned back to release an answering howl, then barked at the others. He raced and slammed into Kidd to release Kalifa, who quickly scrambled away. Kaku pushed away from Zoro without another move to attack. Fukuro left his weapon behind, useless after lack of ammo.

Luffy straightened up, watching the agents retreat. Most of their men in black were lying around them, and he turned and saw that their only casualty was Wire, after Jyabura had eaten part of him.

Puzzled, wondering why the agents were fleeing the scene after being so persistent, he looked towards the hotel. He saw, at that particular moment, that Ussop had been successful with securing the wagon. Over the noise of Kidd's and Killer's angry and sad exclamations over their fallen partner, he saw Law carrying Sanji to the back of the wagon. Luffy immediately raced over, feeling alarmed. He didn't care that the agents were retreating, or the sound of the large animals calling out to each other from different points of the damaged town. He just saw that Law was covered in blood and Sanji was being held.

Ussop and Tony caught sight of him, and both of them rushed out to meet him halfway, both of them reassuring him hastily, that things were okay.

"You sure?" he asked, edges of red in his vision as Tony grabbed onto his leg, saying quickly, "He's okay! He's just mad! He's just really mad, and nothing happened to him!"

"It's fine, they're fine, that's not Law's blood on him," Ussop told Luffy. "Sanji's just overwhelmed, you know how he gets. Law's just helping him calm down."

"Sanji!" Luffy called out, slowing his step as the pair trailed after him, both of them hoping that their words helped. "Sanji! You okay?"

"I'm fine," he heard him say. "I'm fine. Nothing happened. I'm fine."

"Let me see. I want you to look me right in the face and tell me that," Luffy said, climbing over the back of the wagon, pushing Law aside.

Heat looked over curiously, wondering why the extra efforts. To his eyes, Sanji just looked tired and worn out. Too skinny, perhaps, but so was the man handling him. For Luffy to be so insistent was a curiosity for him. He looked over, seeing Luffy forcefully look Sanji over, Sanji exclaiming with impatience over it.

"He gets real mad if Sanji's hiding something from him," Ussop whispered to Heat. "We try not to let Luffy get to that point."

"Why?" Heat asked, bewildered.

"Oh…it's ugly. It's _real_ ugly," Ussop said with a cringe, watching as Luffy looked Sanji in the face, looking over his injuries with a grim expression. "Just know that nothing can stop him when he gets to that point."

Law looked over upon hearing that, skeptic. He knew the others mentioned it before, how Luffy could be once 'at that point', but he looked over the teen with a skeptical expression. He couldn't imagine the kid being anymore dangerous than he already was.

Luffy straightened up from his friend, who only wanted to bury his face in their blankets to shut them all out, and then looked at Law with consideration. Despite his own mask of grime, blood and such, he gave the older man a look of disgust.

"that's not yours?" he asked, gesturing at the blood.

"Nope."

"Nothing happened, right?"

"Not that I know of."

Luffy's eyes narrowed, and Law felt a twinge of doubt in his own determination. "Make sure of it, Law. That's your job," he then said, climbing out from the wagon. "We're in the clear! Whatever happened, they jet out! Get the supplies! We're going to tend to our injured!"

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement, and Law looked them over as they looked at him with the same expression as the others had.

"Goddamn psychopath," he heard Zoro mutter in disgust, walking after his captain, who cheerily called out for the town butcher to give them free meat.


	11. Part Eleven

**A/N: It's been awhile…:P The story was interrupted, but not forgotten. Lucci still has some terrorizing to do, and there's still hearts that need to be ripped out, and people to die…**

 **Thank you, TK, Siberian RS, Nattsubihanabi, Panda Blackwhite, and Musical Bear for all your reviews!**

 **Part Eleven**

Snow fell thickly around them. While it gathered on some parts of the street, settled over the dead and the dying, the crew was running about, gathering what they could. Extra horses, supplies, ammo, useful things – the agents were long gone, tracks leading north out of town, so it wasn't reassuring that they'd retreated in a random direction. It looked as if they intended on coming back.

Which was fine – Luffy just needed his group to recover. Their wagon was nearly filled with supplies, with food, water, warm things – the coach was transport only, and Sabo was saying they should continue to head over the river and maybe settle in the city for the winter. Which was a nice plan – they were still going west. And there was plenty to do in the city. It would give the Strawhats some time to settle down and map out exactly where they wanted to go.

It would be a day and half drive, and Nami, Kidd, and Sabo had connections there.

A _journalist_. Luffy had never ever thought Sabo would be that type. But his older brother had always been the scholarly type, even when his family tried to disown him and he'd run away, years ago. When he was found and returned to his family, that was when they piled on his education just to keep him busy and out of their hair. To his advantage, in the end – he'd told Luffy he'd ran away from home, again, but now the reason made sense.

When Luffy left the farm, he never did finish learning how to read, or write, so Luffy was quite proud of Sabo accomplishing what he did to do these things.

He crawled into the back of the transport wagon, where Sanji was sitting, a far off look to his face. Luffy was disheartened by the blank expression; 'sleeping with eyes open', Zoro sometimes said. His suspicions intensified by the thought that Sanji was not being truthful with him.

"Hi, Sanji," Luffy said cheerily, sitting up close next to him, knees to chest. He'd learned a long time ago that Sanji did not liked to be touched if something had happened. "We're almost ready to go. Isn't there anything out here you'd like to have before we left?"

"I got everything I need."

"How is your leg?"

Sanji showed him, the bruising and swelling evident once more, but what caught Luffy's eyes was the lack of hair, there. He touched the discolored shin with a curious noise, running his finger over smooth skin before Sanji slapped his hand away and rolled his pants leg back down.

"Why aren't your legs hairy, anymore?"

"No reason."

"We're going to the city, did you hear? Just for the winter, because Sabo thinks we shouldn't try traveling anymore in the snow."

When Sanji offered nothing in response, looking at something invisible across from them, Luffy frowned. He moved into his line of vision, but those blue eyes still looked at something beyond him.

" _Sanji_ ," Luffy insisted, waiting for him to make eye contact. But whenever he was in this state, Sanji did not look anyone in the eye. Like he was ashamed and guilty, and his movements were flighty, anxious, picking at random things and tapping his foot, like he had all this pent up energy that needed to go somewhere. "Whatever happened up there, you're safe now, okay? And nobody's going to feel any way if you had to do what you did to save yourself."

" _Nothing_ happened."

"Right, because that's why you're in here and not out there like you usually are."

"My leg hurts."

"Didn't stop you from singing and dancing the other night. You were happy. Now you're not."

"Look, Luffy, if you don't mind, I just want to sit here by myself, okay?"

"I _do_ mind! I mind a lot! I feel like if I leave you here alone, you're just going to disappear, again."

Sanji said nothing in response. His old coping methods to get over harsh situations was to find another bed, to find and rebuild his control. But he didn't want another man's hands on him. He wished he could take a hot bath – he had no idea what Lucci had done to him when he'd redressed him. His skin crawled at that moment, and he started rubbing at his arms, feeling anxiety creeping up in him. His body didn't feel violated in a deeper way – he couldn't even remember minute details of waking up – but the fact that he didn't know what had happened made every part of him feel dirty.

Luffy grabbed his hands, holding them tightly, sitting up quickly to crouch in front of him. He pressed his forehead against his, saying low, "Hey, _hey_ , look. _Look_ at me, Sanji. Look at me, don't look over there. _Look_."

When he finally made eye contact with him, Luffy said firmly, "If you want, we have time. If you feel you need to go take a bath, go take a bath. Okay? They're still getting things together, it will be fine."

"I don't want to – "

" _C'mon_ , let's go back inside. I'll find you soap, okay? You can take the hottest bath you can, we have more than enough time for you to do so. You'd want that, right?"

When Sanji said nothing, Luffy gave a nod.

"I made up my mind, let's go. You can't disobey my orders. If I want you to take a bath, you have to. Besides, it's better than sitting out here, okay? Let's go." Luffy pulled firmly, then looked at him with warning, as Sanji didn't budge. "I can pick you up, you know. If you're having trouble walking."

"I can walk. I'm not a fucking invalid."

Half an hour later, Luffy watched as Sanji stared at nothing. He didn't know where his mind was, but it definitely wasn't here. The man was so scrunched in on himself that nothing seemed to reach him, his bandaged arm settled over the rim of the tub to avoid getting wet. After the intense scrubbing, he just seemed to coil up and retreat, and Luffy couldn't even imagine what it was Sanji was thinking about in that state. All he could do was comfort himself, glad that he wasn't looking for him in some other man's bed, someone's house, because that was the old Sanji. He didn't understand, but Zoro had said it was his way of regaining control over himself. All of his crewmates had problems stemming from harsh living conditions, but Luffy wasn't going to lie – Sanji had a special place in his heart.

When he first met the blond, he was teaching Zoro how to speak English at the brothel. At the time, Luffy didn't understand it – Zoro spoke just enough to get by, why would he need lessons from someone that seemed overly sexual and predatory on his own? Before Luffy stepped in – spying on them from a nearby window, climbing the piping up the building to avoid armed guards and what looked like goddamn barbed wire fencing against the brick wall, having followed Zoro because Zoro kept leaving him behind – Sanji would say things that Zoro would then repeat carefully, over and over until the roll of his tongue stopped, and he'd have to fight Sanji's prying hands off him, the blond laughing.

When he finally introduced himself - startling them both, Zoro ten shades of red and Sanji surprised that he was even able to scale those walls – Sanji was just a normal guy. As normal as a guy could be, sitting around in a silk robe and no sense of body shame whatsoever. Back then, Sanji was very predatory. It was the way he carried himself, the way he eyed the other man while he conducted these lessons. For the last of Zoro's half hour, he swooped in on Luffy to examine the scar on his face, to play with his hair, to feed him the last of the lunch he didn't get the chance to eat. When he made the offer to take them both on, Luffy thought he meant to fight – but Zoro hastily explained that Luffy wasn't 'that type'.

Luffy didn't understand how Sanji could lack shame, and he was inappropriate. There were no sense of boundaries, and he even kissed Luffy to try and seduce him, but Zoro put a stop to that right away. Luffy didn't care; to him, Sanji was just a big puppy, trying to please his new friends. When Luffy launched into tales of his childhood and adventures, Sanji would sit and listen with interest – touching and hugging him, of course, his hands in safe places at Zoro's direction – and he looked quite interested in their latest plans to move south.

Zoro paid to talk to him, and with each visit, Sanji slowly adjusted to their lack of interest in his sexual prowess. To be interesting enough to catch the attention of the two adventurers gave him a different sort of happiness. Zoro would talk about his homeland, Luffy would talk about the farm, and Sanji listened to them both with active questioning of his own. Luffy found himself occupied with teaching him to be 'appropriate' from time to time, and Zoro would be rough with him, because he felt Sanji could take it. Winter came, and when the guards finally realized he was receiving an extra visitor, Zoro was banned from the place. Sanji's room was moved.

A few weeks went by, and Luffy took the money Zoro used to pay, and went to see Sanji himself. But the man was listless and disoriented, moving tenderly, and he didn't want to sit and talk like he used to. When Sanji tried seducing him again just to get his money's worth, Luffy had denied him. Sanji had told him not to come back, anymore.

"I'm coming back one more time," Luffy told him, patiently using a blanket to cover Sanji up; seeing his bruised and battered body made Luffy uncomfortable.

"I will tell them about it," Sanji said, letting the blanket fall, and searching for his robe. "Just so you can move on. There's nothing I can give you guys outside of this room."

"But you have dreams, right?"

"…No."

"You hesitated. I'll be back."

And when Luffy came back, he made sure of his promise. He reported underage girls being used at the brothel, and posed as a policeman that came checking on them. While he infiltrated the house, Zoro cut the gas lines outside, then dispatched of the guards. When he had a chance, all Luffy had to do was light a match – the explosion on the first floor had decimated most of it, and the guards there. In the chaos, workers took advantage and ran off in the night with the clothes on their backs – Luffy took Sanji with him.

Outside of the brothel, Sanji didn't know what to do. Luffy and Zoro had to teach him to stop being inappropriate, to respect his body, to stop giving it away. In return, he took care of them. He gave Luffy all the mothering Luffy lacked, and then some. He settled Zoro down when Zoro was in a mood where nobody should even look at him. He had a way of keeping them both out of trouble when they stumbled on it. When one was lost or thrown in jail, Sanji would find and break them out. When they fell into fights, Sanji always watched their backs. The three of them grew close, and by the time they met Nami just off the plantation down south, Sanji was normal enough to hide his past behind him. But the two of them hit it off quick, and robbed people blind with their double teaming actions. They complimented each other with their quick wit and scheming ways and fear of insects. When Nami finally learned who he was, she didn't care. She still respected him as a man, and she knew she could rely on him.

Then they met Ussop, who was running from his post, and it was Sanji that convinced him to stay. It was Sanji who stayed up with Ussop all night when Ussop couldn't sleep, seeing all the people he'd shot pop up in his dreams, and Sanji would quietly talk him out of thinking he was betraying his country because he refused to fight against people who wanted to use others as slaves. He helped built up his confidence, and encouraged Ussop to be a kid again. He and Luffy were closer in age, and so the pair bonded over similar topics and their love of fishing and eating, and Sanji mothered Ussop as well; fixing his hair, complimenting him, giving him encouragement, gossiping – Ussop had the greatest tales, and Sanji always wanted to hear them – and Luffy was pretty impressed because Ussop had come to them a mess, and was now a bright, happy teenager like him because Sanji decided to 'adopt' him.

Brook had been important to Sanji, too. The old man latched onto him at a bar, was patient and kind to him, and was a large influence in keeping Sanji from accepting every man's attention. His age and grandfatherly features did something to Sanji that kept him calm and obedient, wanting to please the old man in some way, but under his guidance, Sanji finally started respecting his body more, seeing it as his own and nobody else's.

Then they found Tony. Zoro, Brook, Nami and Ussop thought it was best to leave the terrified child with neighbors after finding him living with the corpses of his deceased parents, but Luffy and Sanji disagreed. They took him and it was Sanji that made sure Tony kept up with his schooling. Every town they passed, he made sure to steal off with a schoolbook and would stay up with him, studying. Learning to write, to read, encouraging him to pursue his dream of wanting to be a doctor by stealing off with various medical supplies and letting him do the 'patching up' whenever one of them was hurt. If it wasn't Sanji that he was with, it was Brook, whose old age and childish antics allowed Tony to feel comfortable and safe with him.

But, yes, Luffy had a soft spot for Sanji. So when he walked in on a man mistreating him – calling him vile, _ugly_ names while hurting him - he lost it. Seeing that type of violence being committed on his friend, who struggled so hard to be something valuable to others, just made him lose all sense of restraint and rational thinking. Sanji entered his life as a puppy wanting to please others, excited to have friends, and lived in it as a person who cared very much about those that had become important to him. To see someone mistreat his friend like this was unforgiveable.

Maybe he did kill that man in a fit of rage; maybe he did kill the man's friends when they came to his aid; maybe he did lose track of himself and ran his fist through man or woman that gaped as he helped Sanji out of that basement, trying to protect his dignity with a horse blanket. Maybe he did set fire to the entire town for housing that type of monster; he shot their animals so none could escape, and he burnt down their fields, so that the survivors would all pay for this mistake. By the end of it, he felt he hadn't exacted enough justice, but the others wouldn't let him go. It took all of them to calm him down, and even then, Zoro had to use his sword to render him unconscious.

Nearly a week later, Sanji finally came to, and due to the trauma, he claimed he didn't remember any of it. Luffy decided to forget about it as well; but the others couldn't. They'd watched the entire town burn, destroyed by a single person; Luffy had made it clear what would happen if this ever happened again, and it explained his behavior whenever Sanji wandered off. Now that Law was a huge part of their group, and it was obvious that Law thought the sun rose and set on Sanji's shoulders, Luffy could relax knowing that his friend had finally found someone that made him feel like a person, and not just a body. It had been wonderful to see the change in a man that disregarded his own worth to finally seeing his worth because of someone else.

He looked over at movement from the side of his eye, and saw Law walk in, carrying a couple of towels, Tony's medical bag, and Sanji's suitcase.

"We're all ready," Law told Luffy, moving stiffly. He'd changed out of his bloody clothing, and had gone to retrieve his newly insulated jacket.

"That's great! And what about Kidd and his crew? Will they be okay?"

"They're going to go their separate way to take care of the body. They'll meet up with us later."

"Oh…damn. He was a good man."

"What happened?" Sanji asked, lifting his head. "Kidd's back?"

"Yes. Come on out, now. It's time we get going," Law told him, towel up. Sanji stood up and Law wrapped him with it, before pulling the other one over his head, toweling off his hair and shoulders roughly. Luffy noticed that Sanji was still favoring his leg, and Sanji's hands were on the man's front, feeling curiously before Law jerked back from him with a hiss.

"Are you ticklish, Law?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Did you get these looked at?" Sanji asked, touching Law's stomach gently.

"Yes, they're fine."

"You're such a crazy man, my love, making that beast fear you."

"I'll have my chance again, I'm sure."

Sanji said nothing, his face tightening before Law wrapped the towel around his shoulders, looking for his clothes. Luffy handed him the pile, and Law took them. Then looked at Luffy pointedly, the teen looking from him to Sanji with a cheerful expression.

" _Privacy_ , please," Law said.

" _Please_ , like I haven't seen Sanji in all his naked glory, before," Luffy scoffed.

Sanji snickered – Luffy was right, but he suspected that Law wanted privacy for a reason. Law frowned down at Luffy, then both of them looked over at the sound of Zoro's voice at the doorway.

"Why are you taking a goddamn _bath_ when we're supposed to be leaving?" he demanded crankily, folding his arms over his chest. "The snow will keep you clean!"

Before Sanji could answer, Sabo appeared from behind Zoro. "We're ready to go. Everything is loaded – dear _God_ , man, what are you doing taking a bath at this time? We do have to leave, you know. And you'd do well to properly dry yourself off, you're going to catch a cold."

Zoro hit his shoulder with the back of his hand, saying, "That's what _I_ said!"

"Snow _would_ keep us clean, wouldn't it? It'd be similar to taking a _solid_ bath," Luffy mused, rubbing his chin.

"Just catch it and rub it all over your neck and face," Zoro reasoned. "Then you're clean."

"Frankly, Sanji, I worry about your obsession with baths," Sabo commented, face politely averted to the side as he stood there in the doorway. "I mean, it's good and reasonable to take one these days, but with the snow and ice on the river, don't you think it'd be dangerous to do so?"

"We would take one every few days!" Luffy exclaimed. "It was fine!"

"Every ' _few'_ days?" Sanji repeated, a look of revulsion to his face. Sabo looked to him, aware that he was the one to keep order in the group, and was only nullified at seeing his expression as he looked at the three of them with accusation. He looked at Law with disapproval, muttering something to him with disgust. Sabo heard Law ask in the same volume, "Did you _taste_ crotch rot?"

Before Sanji could answer, Kidd appeared with a complaint, pushing Sabo and Zoro aside just to fit in the doorway, ducking low underneath the frame. With his large body and height, he overwhelmed the small room, bringing with him the smell of the outside and the faint tinge of his fur. Sanji automatically took a step behind Law, annoyed at his own reaction as Law faced Kidd with an irritated expression.

Sabo didn't understand Sanji, sometimes. He was a strong fighter, one Luffy absolutely trusted to watch his back and deliver favorable results; but the man absolutely feared other men in such a way he either noticeably hid behind the three of their group, or refused to venture anywhere by himself in certain places. He even refused to talk to Sabo alone which made Sabo feel affronted because he felt he were being lumped in with the other villains in Sanji's mind.

"Why are we all gathered in the bathroom? Are we – _fuck_ , Blackleg, are you really naked right now? Why are you even – _are you taking a bath_? What's _wrong_ with you? Hey! Everyone! We all have to wait on Blackleg because he feels he needs to take a bath right when we have to leave!" Kidd shouted with exasperation.

"You bastards! Hurry up!" they heard Tony shout from far away.

"For fuck's sake," Law muttered.

"I think Law wanted privacy to talk to Sanji, actually," Luffy said, making shooing motions. "That, or he was looking at him a certain way."

" _Fuck_ ," Kidd and Zoro said with utter disgust.

"I was not!" Law snapped at Luffy.

Luffy snickered. "He gets this dopey look to his face, and that's when I know I shouldn't be around because - !"

"Well, even psychopaths need some lovin'," Kidd said with a shrug. "Better killing that ass than people, right?"

"KIDD!" Sabo and Law cried in mortified horror, causing Luffy to laugh, Zoro looking disgusted. Sanji snickered.

" _What_? I'm just saying!"

"In any event, we don't have time for…relations," Sabo said with discomfort. "We are ready to leave, and we should leave before the worst of the storm hits!"

"Hear that? No 'relations'," Zoro said, shaking his finger at them. "Goddamn whore."

"Which reminds me," Sabo then said, squeezing in past Kidd, somehow cramming himself against the wall and tub, and pulling Luffy close to Law, removing their hats. The two at the doorway looked with curiosity, Sanji lost as Law scowled, and Luffy grinned.

Self-conscious about their wondrous gazes on his face and form, Law started fidgeting immediately, Luffy doing an impression of Law that had them chuckling before Law pushed him away.

"Our dads were cousins, right?" Luffy asked of him, grinning.

"Yep. First."

"But we're practically brothers if _our_ dads grew up together. SABO! We've got another brother!"

"Have you been kicked in the head?" Law asked impatiently. "That only makes us cousins, and you're not even related to Sabo."

" _Brothers_!" Luffy insisted, hugging one arm and having Law jerk away from him with a snarl, slapping his hat back on his head, cursing about needing his 'goddamn space'.

"So _prickly_ ," Sabo said with concern.

"Hey, I'm happy we got this far with him," Luffy said, walking out from the bathroom with a contented smile. Now that Sanji was looking more alive, he felt better. "And he's not always this stand-offish – not with Sanji. Sometimes I just want to break into their room and see who it is that's talking to Sanji so lovingly."

"I need you to stop listening and snooping in on other people's conversations," Sabo said with concern, following him. "It'll get you killed one of these days."

"Why are you even listening to that? Why are you so perverted?" Kidd asked, following after he paused, glaring at Sanji. "Hurry up and get dressed, prissy pants! We got this schedule! Then I still have to pay you back for that bruise on my back!"

"That's not even the worst thing I've caught him doing," Zoro stated, following after Sabo and Luffy, Kidd right after him, the clopping of their boots on the hardwood floor, telling the two left behind that they'd been abandoned for now.

Sanji looked over at Law, who was scowling down at the clothes he set out on the counter. Then he laughed, reaching out to hug him from the side, careful of his ammo belt and knife holster, kissing his neck. "You have no idea how much I missed all that," he said. "It felt odd to have so much privacy, I didn't know what to do with myself."

"I could do without the constant interruptions," Law muttered, ears still red from being called out so openly.

"What did you want privacy for, anyway, hmm?" Sanji asked curiously, hands drifting downward. He began undoing his belt. "I can do this quick, if you'd like. Treat for the road?"

Law stopped him with gentle hands on his, fixing his belt as Sanji looked up at him with nothing but adoration on his face. "Tempting, but no. I just wanted to see if you were okay. If you'd like to…talk about it."

"No. I'm good," Sanji answered, taking the dark navy shirt from him, slipping it on.

"Here. This vest will keep your core properly warm, it's from an antelope we'd caught weeks earlier," Law then said, removing it from his form, slipping it over Sanji's shirt. Sanji frowned because it wasn't something he'd wear – it didn't show him off in all the right ways – but he endured it because Law was giving it to him, making his comfort and health a priority. He tied it in place, then watched as Sanji pulled on his pants, watching his movement. When he saw nothing that indicated that Lucci had been successful with him, he felt relief. He then reached out to tuck his shirt into his pants before fastening them, Sanji looking at him with amusement.

"Am I not able to dress myself?" he asked lightly, Law straightening up from him with a semi-embarrassed shrug.

"I'm flustered, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm happy to have you back. Because every time I look at you, you grow more and more beautiful to me. Because I feel grateful that you gave me a chance, and you were with me through all that stuff in Dressrosa. _All_ that stuff," Law muttered, Sanji watching him with a building lump in his throat. "Being without you all those months just…it was hard. I'd rather have your fits of temper than nothing at all."

Sanji felt his eyes burn, looking at him with an astonished expression, unable to accept that someone like himself could have that sort of devotion from another person. Not when his body had been used days earlier by another man, where it could have been violated barely over an hour ago.

"But…I'm so damaged…and you think of me that way? Truly?"

"Yes," Law told him firmly. "All the time."

Sanji could the sincerity in his expression, hear it in his tone, and he still couldn't believe that someone could think such things of him. Not when he was such a mess. He exhaled shakily, forcing him close so he could kiss him.

"I love you so much," he said tightly. "You don't know how lucky I feel being able to have you."

"I feel the same way."

"Guess it works out for the both of us, huh?" Sanji asked, entwining their fingers together, kissing him repeatedly before Law bit his bottom lip, keeping him close to kiss him deeply, tasting all of his mouth, nearly crushing his fingers between his to hold him. Sanji leaned into him, letting him take control of this moment, before Law released his hands and pulled him close, both of them stumbling back against the wall.

Then Law wrapped his arms tightly around him, holding him so tight that Sanji felt as if he'd lost his breath. "I missed you so much – I don't ever want to be separated from you again."

"Then hold onto me tightly, okay? Because I might disappear one day, and I won't know how to find my way back," Sanji said, pushing his face up against his shoulder, wrapping his arms around him just as tightly, needing to be as close as possible to him, _needing_ him.

Both of them held each other tightly, pressed so close up against each other that they held each other up. Then separated only slightly to kiss each other – slowly at first, then intensely, breathing each other in, clutching clothing, hair, anything that could keep them close. They ended up banging against the wall again, fumbling with clothes, with limbs.

"UGH, _c'mon_! They're _kissing_! They're always kissing!" Tony complained, standing at the doorway. "That's why they're taking so long!"

"You two better knock it off!" Nami shouted from the first floor. "We need to go! There's no touch butt allowed from this point on! LET'S _GO_!"

The pair of them broke apart, Sanji snickering while Law looked at Tony with an embarrassed frown, Tony scowling up at both of them. The boy walked in with a disgusted expression, shaking his head from side to side. He reached out to push them apart.

"We were _waiting_ for you guys!" he insisted, Sanji making sure that they had everything. Law stopped him, pulling him back to the counter.

He took the time necessary to pull the bandages off his arm, Tony moving in quickly to see what was being done. Sanji's arm from the wrist to halfway up his forearm was a bright brown color, where skin had blistered and broken. It was also scabbing over to form the handcuff impression just above his wrist, but it didn't look infected.

"Ugh, Sanji," Tony commented, wrinkling his nose. "That's a burn?"

"It's healing pretty well," Law commented, touching Sanji's skin just above and below the wound. "But you must be consistent with antibiotics to keep infection from spreading. No more bars for a couple of months."

"Then, will you have to cut it off?" Tony asked, eyes wide.

"I'll do my best," Sanji said quickly, cringing at the thought of losing that hand. "This is the side I give Law the most – "

Law kissed him quickly, Tony examining Sanji's arm more closely. " _Hush_ , you."

Law hoped that the antibiotics they took from the doctor's office in town would be enough to treat it, and rewrapped it neatly. He added otter's hide over it, so it wouldn't get wet, and tied it carefully. Then he kissed Sanji's exposed knuckles, Tony frowning at him for the display while Sanji smiled at him.

Seeing that they were now ready, Tony huffed as he pushed off the counter, saying, "We're all on our horses! It's starting to snow even more! And you guys are taking your sweet ole time, making goggley-eyes at each other!"

"Who said you could grow up like this?" Sanji asked him, bending to hug him tightly from behind, kissing his ears and temple while Tony struggled to get away. "Like a miniature grumpy old man?"

"Sanji! Respect my boundaries! I'm grown, now, I don't need these affections! _Stop_!" Tony snapped at him, but ended up giggling as Sanji tickled him, turning in his grasp so Sanji could hug him properly.

"You missed _this_? Really?" Law asked Sanji impatiently, gesturing at the men's bellows of impatience from outside, Tony's complaints as he grabbed Sanji's suitcase and dragged it alongside him.

Sanji reached for Law, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Yes," he said, tiptoeing to kiss him as he fixed his hat back atop of his head. "I missed my family."

: :

The trek through the snow was a slow one – the animals moved slowly over the roads, and the quiet serenity of the area inspired reflection as the group of them left the town. When they finally came upon the city, they found it tucked into a narrow valley, surrounded by snow topped mountains, spilling over a flat field. There were farms surrounding the city, close to the nearby river, and most buildings were one to two stories high, most of them linked by worn wooden walkways. The smells ranged from smoke to waste, and cows protested as they took the road closest to them, bypassing single riders and other covered wagons. Being that the city was larger than most towns in the West, Sabo was confident that they'd be able to settle in just fine, out of sight, and wait out the winter – until Nami was able to map a better route to the ocean.

After they'd settled in a hotel, the snowstorm outside swept over the entire town in a whiteout, making it impossible to wander about. Nami paid for their rooms, and after they'd deposited their things, most of them met down at the restaurant. After orders were taken and drinks were served, Nami cleared her throat and stood at the head of the table.

"The rules, gentlemen, are this," she said, holding up a sheet of paper, pointing at the header. "We are to settle here until I can find the best route to the ocean, but we've also got to take into consideration the snow. By now, most of our mountain passes are covered in it – we can't keep running from place to place until then, or risk death out there."

"Nami, some of them can't read," Law said impatiently.

"I _know_ this - !"

"Anyway, Nami, it's not like we're thinking of causing trouble," Luffy complained, giving her a dull expression. "It comes to us! Look what happened back there, we were unprovoked! _We_ were the ones attacked!"

"But it was _because_ of us that it happened, moron! Now, shut up and listen! Rule number one: no killing. ZORO. LAW. Number two: no stealing. LUFFY. USSOP. _Pay attention_! Number three: you're not allowed anywhere by yourselves! Everyone needs to travel in pairs, or go nowhere at all! Is this in anyway unclear? Sabo, this means you, now that you've revealed yourself. Number four: now that we're going to be here, awhile, Tony. It's time for school."

Tony looked at her with horror, dropping his spoon. "But _why_?"

"Because it's important, and we're going to be here awhile," Nami said firmly. "Let's have you in an environment with your peers instead of being surrounded by us idiots your entire life. Your education is important."

" _But_ \- !"

"Tony, she's right," Luffy said sternly, much to the boy's dismay. "I'll go with you. Hell, might as well! How much trouble can I get into, going to school?"

"I can count the ways," Nami muttered as Luffy worked himself up to an excited fit over it. Zoro counted a day before Luffy grew bored with the concept, sipping his beer with a roll of his eyes. Luffy punched him because he somehow sensed him doing so, causing Zoro to spit his beer out with surprise.

"Which brings us to rule number five!" she shouted as Zoro faced Luffy with a curse. " _NO FIGHTING_! That'll draw attention to us, and we really can't afford that, right now! All of us need to dress differently, too. Rule number six! We need to blend in! All of us are too noticeable, now, and we can't afford that! So tomorrow, we will go shopping for disguises. Those that can, grow out your facial hair."

"Not you," Sanji said to Law sternly, to which Law looked disappointed, trying to envision himself with facial hair. Sanji looked at Zoro. "Or _you_. Moss face. Haha."

"Shut up."

"Does hair only grow on the north side of the peak?" Sanji asked curiously, reaching out to touch Zoro's face, Zoro trying to bite him.

"I don't think I can," Luffy said with disappointment, touching his face.

"So just me?" Ussop questioned with doubt cast in Nami's direction.

"I'd try, but I don't wanna be itchy," Tony said with a sigh, rubbing his cheeks.

"So, nobody," Nami said with heavy realization, frowning as she looked them all over. Sabo shrugged, signaling his burn scars, and she sighed.

"Or would like you like a mustache ride?" Sanji then returned his attention to Law, leaning over to speak directly into his ear, Sabo looking on with disapproval.

"Stop, you two, how indecent," Sabo muttered as Law looked interested, looking at Sanji and trying to picture one on him. To assist with the imagery, Sanji placed his index finger over his upper lip, then attempted a sexy look.

" _No_ ," Law decided.

Across the table, Tony repeated Sanji's action, which caused Luffy to notice, who repeated it. Sabo shook his head as Ussop took up the motion, and the three of them were addressing each other as "Mr. Moustache, 1,2, and 3".

"Rule number seven!" Nami said, speaking up loudly over the giggles and talk of facial hair in the bedroom, then rapping on the table with her knuckles until all their attention was back on them. "Sanji, you're banned from playing outside until you're fully healed. Sorry, dear. Doctor's orders."

"As long as doctor keeps a close eye on me, it's fine," Sanji said, grinning at Law as he leaned in to kiss the ear of the man who was stirring his coffee with a frown.

Sabo did not understand how that man could be so prickly and antisocial with everyone, but accept the licentiousness that came with public displays of affection from the man next to him. He then wondered if he should be showing more affection towards his fiancée the next time he saw her. But he was quite sure it wasn't proper, considering that such behavior was considered offensive. But then again, he wouldn't be all over her like Sanji was with Law, and he doubted she'd be the same…he trailed off, glaring down at his coffee with a frown, pretty sure this was why Koala wondered constantly if he even loved her.

Nami wasn't sure what was going on with Sabo at that moment, for his blond head was turned down with a sorrowful look, but she ignored it. She picked up a sugar cube from the tower near her and threw it at Sanji, causing him to back off from Law before he fitted himself in his lap and caused a lewd display in front of currently shocked patrons behind them.

"Rule number eight! Now, listen up, this is important!" she said, rubbing her hands together and steepling them in front of her nose. "We are all on a budget. So it's up to us to get small jobs around town. For instance, I will avoid the gambling hall. Law, they could use doctors. Zoro, some muscle at the mines? Luffy, Ussop, help out with firewood. Small things in exchange for respectable services. Sanji, get a job as a cook somewhere, please. _Out_ of sight! Sabo?"

"I'll find something," Sabo murmured, all of them looking at each other reluctantly.

"Not for a month," Law told Sanji, who suddenly looked nervous. "Your job is to remain in our room."

Luffy turned to Ussop with Law's expression, mimicking his voice. "Your job is to serve me."

Law threw his napkin at him, Sanji laughing at Luffy.

"We're going to get through this winter as _decent_ people!" Nami declared, fist curled. "We're going to be fine! Any objections?"

"I have _plenty_ – " Luffy started to say before she hit him over the head with a fist, causing him to hiss, holding himself with both hands. "But never mind, I forgot them all."

Sabo was amused, looking at the group with lifted eyebrows. He highly doubted that any of them were functional 'citizens' after a highly adventurous life on the road, but he couldn't wait to see how it all turned out for them.


End file.
